A former Bethel University football player charged with raping three fellow students in late 2018 on or near campus has been acquitted by jurors in his first trial.

A Ramsey County District Court jury of seven men and five women on Wednesday found Gideon O. Erhabor, now 26, not guilty of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with a 21-year-old student's allegation that Erhabor assaulted her at an off-campus house party in Shoreview on Dec. 8, 2018.

Erhabor, of McKinney, Texas, a running back for Bethel for two seasons before leaving the Christian-based private school in Arden Hills in 2018, remains charged in the other two cases.

Defense attorney Dan Gonnerman said Thursday that "the state was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged victim was physically helpless at the time the sexual activity occurred. The [woman] testified that she had no memory from a point shortly after she arrived at the college alcohol party until the next morning except for some brief flashbacks. ... The defense successfully argued that her lack of memory didn't establish beyond a reasonable doubt that she was physically helpless."

Gonnerman said a court hearing needs to be scheduled to determine a date for the next trial to start should the County Attorney's Office decide to pursue prosecution. In the meantime, Erhabor remains free on bond.

According to the pending cases against Erhabor:

An 18-year-old student said she was invited by Erhabor to his dorm room on Sept. 11, 2018, to watch a movie. While in his room, she turned him down for sex before he assaulted her.

In the second case, a 19-year-old student said she was at a house party on Oct. 6, 2018, in Roseville and had two alcoholic drinks. About 2 a.m., she went outside and felt disoriented. Later that morning, she awoke in a friend's apartment "totally confused."

On Nov. 30, Erhabor came to her room and got in bed with her, and she told him she didn't want to have sex. Erhabor explained they'd had sex at the house party in October.