SEATTLE — A University of Washington (UW) football player accused of raping two women in Seattle last year made his first court appearance Thursday.
Tylin "Tybo" Tamis Rogers, 18, is facing second-degree and third-degree rape charges. He pleaded not guilty on Thursday in King County Superior Court. He posted the $300,000 bail last week.
Rogers' next court date is scheduled for May 21.
Detectives started investigating Rogers after a Seattle Central Community College student said she was raped in October 2023 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Investigators believed Rogers was involved in another rape case from November 2023 in the University District. The second victim was a 22-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Washington.
According to court documents, Rogers met the first victim after matching with her on Tinder in August 2023. Rogers met her at her apartment on Oct. 23, ignored her pleas and forced her to do a sexual act for 10 minutes, according to court documents. Authorities said in court documents that the victim reported the rape on Oct. 28, 2023, and took a sexual assault exam at Harborview Medical Center.
The first woman reported the incident to UW and their Title IX Office on Nov. 28, police said.
Rogers met the second victim at a Halloween party at Greek Row at UW and matched with her on Tinder, according to court documents. Police said Rogers was immediately forceful with the victim when he entered her apartment, where he assaulted her for 20 minutes. At one point, the woman told police Rogers "used one of his hands to strangle her."
The prosecution requested a sexual assault protection order in court Thursday - a routine order in sexual assault cases requiring a defendant to stay away from the alleged victims - which the defense agreed to.
One of the victim's requested the order via a victim's impact statement which was read aloud by an advocate. The woman wrote that she believed Rogers is "dangerous" and alleged that Rogers did not give her the opportunity to consent before the assault.
"We are both University of Washington students. I'm afraid of ever seeing him again, or that he will send other people to talk to me," the statement read. "I think he's really dangerous - to me, to other people, to the community and other girls."
Defense counsel noted they disagreed with the content of the statement.
Rogers was suspended from team activities in November 2023, according to authorities.
A trial date is set for July.