College football player raped girl on family cruise, feds say — and allegedly asked her appalling 2-word question afterward

A college football player with a reported history of sexual assault was convicted of raping a teen girl while she was on a family cruise vacation.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said in a statement that Jalen Thomas Kelley, 22, was found guilty of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and assault in connection to a rape of a 17-year-old girl on a Carnival Cruise ship in 2023. Kelley faces a maximum sentence of life in prison in the federal case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated.

'Kelley saw that [she] was intoxicated [by his own admission], realized she was vulnerable, and offered to take her to the bathroom.'

Federal prosecutors said Kelley raped the then-underage girl between Jan. 1 and Jan. 2, 2023.

Kelley met the teen girl after a party on the Carnival Legend cruise ship on the night of Jan. 1. Kelley took her to his cabin because she needed to use a restroom, according to court documents.

Citing court filings, The State reported that after the victim stepped outside the bathroom, Kelley pushed her on the bed "face first," and raped her.

After sexually assaulting the teen girl, Kelley allegedly asked the victim an appalling question.

Court documents stated: "After raping [her], Kelley asked, ‘You good?'"

The Carnival cruise ship returned to port in Baltimore on Jan. 2.

The victim and her family left the cruise ship and returned home to Virginia. Once home, the teen girl reported the rape to local police. She reportedly was examined at a Virginia hospital, where it was determined that she had bruises on her right arm and shins, as well as "vaginal abrasions, tearing and bruising," according to court docs.

In April 2023, FBI agents interrogated Kelley regarding the alleged sexual assault. At the time of the interview, Kelley was a redshirt junior running back for the Wingate University football team.

Kelley purportedly told investigators that he and the underage girl had kissed and touched each other outside of his room before he let her use the bathroom. Kelley allegedly said that he believed the teen was under the influence of alcohol.

"Kelley saw that [she] was intoxicated [by his own admission], realized she was vulnerable, and offered to take her to the bathroom,” prosecutors wrote in court documents. Kelley “took full advantage of the situation,” prosecutors stated.

FBI agents arrested Kelley at Wingate University on Sept. 20, 2023, according to the Wingate Triangle — the university’s student newspaper.

After news was released about the allegations of sexual assault on the cruise ship, a Wingate University student came forward to report him for raping her.

As of November 2023, there was an outstanding arrest warrant for Kelley for second-degree forcible rape out of Union County, North Carolina, according to The State.

Kelley also was convicted as a minor in a 2019 sexual assault case, prosecutors said.

During his two-week trial for the rape on the Carnival cruise ship, jurors heard testimony from six people accusing Kelley of other sexual assaults on separate incidents.

“Kelley has an alarming history of allegations of sexual assault from males and females spanning from early 2017 through September 2023,” prosecutors wrote in court documents according to the New York Post.

Carnival Cruise Lines didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from The State.

"We will never stop working to serve justice for the victims of predators like Mr. Kelley, no matter where the crime occurs,” said Erek L. Barron — U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland. "Today’s conviction reflects the unwavering resolve of the FBI to protect our communities and keep Americans safe."

This story has been updated; the first name of the football player is Jalen, not James.

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