FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas (KTAB/KRBC) – University of Arkansas Quarterback Kade Renfro is speaking out against allegations of sexual assault from an anonymous Instagram account, which led to his removal from the football program last month, despite any formal criminal charges. 

The account, named kaderenfroabuse, had photographs of women with scratches, bruises, and other domestic abuse injuries, all claiming to have come from Renfro. 

By May 26, Renfro was dismissed from the University of Arkansas football program even though as of June 2, no criminal charges have been filed with Washington County, the city of Fayetteville, or the University of Arkansas.

A search found no criminal charges had been filed in Stephenville, Texas, where Renfro played in high school, nor at Ole Miss, in the city of Oxford or Lafayette County in Mississippi.

Both Renfro and his attorney claim that the photographs and documentation on the Instagram page were fabricated and that Renfro was not in Fayetteville June 27, 2020, because he was still at Ole Miss during that time. 

Renfro sat down with KTAB and KRBC News Director Manny Diaz for an exclusive interview on the Instagram account, where he denies all allegations of assault, saying everything he’s ever done with a woman has been consensual. 

During the interview, Renfro opens up about the impact the allegations have had on his life and his family, who he says has been under attack since the Instagram account “snowballed overnight”. 

“The stress that it’s put on my life and my family’s life. . .just making sure that I’m a free man is the main part and clearing my name and clearing my family’s name,” Renfro explained. 

He says besides a few friends and fellow players, he has received little support from the University of Arkansas football program, even though there is evidence that suggests some of the photographs may have been stolen from different domestic abuse cases that had nothing to do with Renfro. 

“From day one. . . I was just like. . . the type of stuff like this is making it a lot harder on actual abuse victims and actual people that have been sexually abused and raped, to not want to go to the police,” Renfro says. 

When asked why he was finally choosing to come forward to voice his version of events, Renfro said, “I’m just really trying to show that, you know, some of the things that I did say were wrong. And I know that now. And I’ve known that for months, because I was in a dark place. And I’ve been trying to seek help. And I did. And, you know, showing the other side of those conversations will help show my side of the story and show that I wasn’t acting on this alone. There were other consensual conversations being had.”  

More than anything, Renfro is hoping the truth comes to light so he gets to continue living-out a lifelong dream. 

“Football was my first love. And so, I’ve always wanted to play college football. I didn’t really care about the NFL. I just wanted to play college football,” Renfro told KTAB and KRBC. 

Renfro’s defense attorney, David Wimberley, whose practice is located in Breckenridge, says he’s “appalled at. . . the actions of the athletic department.”

“Quite frankly, the fact that they have removed him from the program publicly humiliated him – took him off the roster, based on an anonymous account is appalling,” Wimberley explained. “I mean, I’m embarrassed that the university where I went, would, would actually do this. I’m not sure exactly who thought it would be a good idea to take action against a student athlete.”

Wimberley explained that he determined the photographs used on the Instagram account originated from a domestic abuse case in another state involving a different suspect entirely. He also says no actual victims have come forward against his client. 

Now, Wimberley is fighting to make sure that Renfro gets his name cleared and to show why due process needs to be involved before someone is removed from a University program. 

“That person has specifically targeted this young man and made multiple false allegations that I can prove and have just put up just enough on that website to show that it was fake,” Wimberley said. “And for people to still be coming out actively, that he’s a rapist, when we’ve already produced the evidence to show this is untruthful. It’s just It’s beyond my comprehension. I mean, it is zero due process going on.”

Wimberley also says that it’s been an uphill battle to even get Renfro’s story heard, claiming some of the mainstream media outlets who ran stories on the allegations are refusing to even hear them out. 

“He has been labeled a rapist on every major news network in the United States that aired that story without a complaining witness. Now that should be an embarrassment to them, quite frankly,” Wimberley explained. 

In addition to clearing Renfro’s name, Wimberley says they are also working to identify the person who made the Instagram account in order to press felony charges for abuse. 

Wimberley says that there will likely be, “a search warrant coming after that account to see who committed these acts, which I will tell you in Texas are a felony criminal offense to target an individual the way they’ve done and to go after him and cause him fear of serious bodily injury or death, which is exactly what happened. He’s had death threats, his family himself, this qualifies in Texas under the stalking statutes, and it’s a felony.”

When asked what he wanted to say to the creator of the Instagram account, Wimberley said, “the message to the person that created this account is you’re going to be arrested and then I’m going to bankrupt you. That’s the message.”

Amid the investigation, the Instagram account went silent and also did not respond to interview requests from KTAB and KRBC.