Police are not investigating the sexual assault allegation against Indiana University football player Morgan Ellison, IndyStar has learned.

A fellow IU student told university officials in August that Ellison sexually assaulted her while she slept and then used force to continue the assault when she woke up. A university panel suspended Ellison effective Sept. 27 until March 27, 2021, based on a "preponderance of evidence."

Yet Bloomington-area law enforcement agencies — the Indiana University Police Department, the Bloomington Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office — have not received any reports related to the alleged crime, according to interviews and records obtained by IndyStar.

A spokesman for the Monroe County prosecutor’s office said prosecutors have not received any information or reports about the situation either.

'I wanted to die': IU student recounts aftermath of alleged assault by Morgan Ellison

IU football:University suspends running back Morgan Ellison for sexual assault

Ellison declined comment Thursday. University records indicate that he has said all of the sexual activities that occurred were consensual.

IU not required to report such allegations

Indiana University spokesman Chuck Carney told IndyStar the university was not required by law to report the allegations to law enforcement because the incident occurred off campus. But he said IU would never discourage someone from making his or her own report.

Generally, Carney said, when someone comes to the university with allegations of sexual misconduct, a confidential victim advocate will present options, including the option to report to police. He said the university would not go against the victim's wishes in that regard.

But the fellowstudent that Ellison is accused of assaulting told IndyStar that she never told the university she didn't want to go to police. In fact, she said she asked school officials whether she should report the incident to police herself, and they encouraged her to go through the university process instead.

IndyStar typically does not name alleged victims of sexual assault without their consent.

The student told IndyStar she followed the advice of the confidential victim advocate and initiated the process through the university's Office of Student Conduct. She said that process has been very difficult and traumatizing and she is unsure whether she can emotionally handle going through it again by reporting to police at this time.

Sexual misconduct panel determines Morgan Ellison should be suspended

In its findings, the university’s sexual misconduct hearing panel concluded that "the aggravating factor of [Ellison] engaging in sexual activity while Complainant was asleep, and [Ellison]’s use of force during the incident" led to the determination that Ellison should be suspended from Indiana University for 2 1/2 years, according to records obtained by IndyStar.

The panel's determination also requires Ellison to undergo counseling and specifies that he is not to set foot on any IU campus during his suspension. And he is prohibited from having contact with the student he is accused of assaulting.

The panel explained its decision in a letter dated Oct. 3; Ellison has since filed an appeal of that panel's ruling.

Ellison status at university unclear

He remained enrolled in classes as of Thursday morning, according to the Office of the Registrar. Indiana University officials have declined to elaborate on Ellison's status.

IU Athletics, the Indiana University Police Department, Dean of Students Office, Office of Student Conduct, Office of Institutional Equity and the Office for Sexual Violence Prevention and Victim Advocacy all either declined comment this week or referred IndyStar to a spokesman who said he could not comment on any student conduct case because of privacy laws.

Ellison, a sophomore running back at IU, has been suspended from competition since Aug. 24 for undisclosed reasons. The news release announcing his suspension described its scope as including "all football activities."

IU process: Here's what happens when a student reports sexual assault at IU

Top rusher Morgan Ellison suspended:Who will Hoosiers look to fill the void?

When an athlete at Indiana is named in a sexual misconduct investigation, the decision to suspend that athlete from sports competition is made by a three-person panel consisting of the university’s faculty athletics representative, the Title IX coordinator and a representative from the office of general counsel.

According to Athletic Director Fred Glass, the process was put in place to ensure the student athlete was given due process while the Office of Student Conduct conducts its investigation, and during any potential appeal, Glass told IndyStar.

“They are students, and every other student on campus remains engaged in all student activities until the process is fully complete," Glass said.

What’s unclear — and what IU Athletics would not comment on — is why Ellison was initially suspended from “all football activities,” but then allowed to return to practice on Sept. 13.

IU football coach Tom Allen had previously confirmed last week that Ellison was participating in practices.

"He's been allowed to be with our team recently, and we still have no answer yet for his game opportunities," Allen said Oct. 2. "But he's been allowed to be around us on a consistent basis now, which has helped. But we still don’t know the long-term future yet. Taking it day by day."

According to an athletics department spokesman, Allen was made aware of the student misconduct panel’s decision on Oct. 3.

Asked about Ellison's status during his weekly press conference Monday, Allen said there was "no additional update on him." Allen was not made available for comment Friday.

A late addition to Indiana’s 2017 signing class, Ellison led the Hoosiers with 704 yards and six touchdowns last season as a true freshman. He was named Big Ten freshman of the week twice after wins over Georgia Southern and Rutgers. He had been considered a candidate for Indiana's starting running back position this fall.

Should the university’s decision be upheld after the appeal, Ellison would no longer be eligible to compete as an IU athlete.

Furthermore, Ellison would be automatically ruled ineligible from ever returning to Indiana University as a varsity athlete, due to a separate department policy prohibiting its teams from accepting prospective athletes with a history of sexual or domestic violence.

Call IndyStar reporter Marisa Kwiatkowski at 317-444-6135. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyMarisaK.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.

Contact Carley Lanich at 317-444-6487 or clanich@gannett.com. Or follow her on Twitter at @carleylanich.

Out of Balance:An IndyStar investigation into USA Gymnastics