Turns out the touching story of Yale quarterback Patrick Witt — who was lauded for abandoning his pursuit of a Rhodes Scholarship to play one final game with his team — isn’t quite so touching.
After weeks of glowing stories in the press detailing Witt’s efforts to reschedule a Rhodes interview with the finals committee that fell on the same day as Yale’s annual gridiron contest with Ivy-League rival Harvard, Witt announced on Nov. 13 that he was withdrawing his application.
“I will be playing in the Yale-Harvard game this Saturday,” Witt said in a statement at the time. “I have withdrawn my application for the Rhodes Scholarship. My focus this week is solely on preparing for the game alongside my teammates and coaches.’’
Behind the scenes, however, the Rhodes Trust had already notified Witt and Yale that his application was suspended in the wake of a female student’s sexual assault accusation against the quarterback, the New York Times reported yesterday.
Officials at Yale — where the school motto is “Lux et veritas,” Latin for “light and truth” — have so far declined to comment on the sexual assault allegation.
According to the Times, Witt’s accuser filed an informal complaint, and the police were never contacted about the matter.
Witt, who set numerous passing records in his three years as a starting quarterback, is no longer enrolled at the school. But he has not graduated.
In the past, Witt often expressed a desire to play in the NFL.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to play at the professional level,” Witt told reporters back in November before he claimed he was not going to seek a Rhodes Scholarship.
“The Rhodes … does affect that. If I win the scholarship, that would put the NFL on hold for at least a year or two.”
David.Knowles@thedaily.com
After weeks of glowing stories in the press detailing Witt’s efforts to reschedule a Rhodes interview with the finals committee that fell on the same day as Yale’s annual gridiron contest with Ivy-League rival Harvard, Witt announced on Nov. 13 that he was withdrawing his application.
“I will be playing in the Yale-Harvard game this Saturday,” Witt said in a statement at the time. “I have withdrawn my application for the Rhodes Scholarship. My focus this week is solely on preparing for the game alongside my teammates and coaches.’’
Behind the scenes, however, the Rhodes Trust had already notified Witt and Yale that his application was suspended in the wake of a female student’s sexual assault accusation against the quarterback, the New York Times reported yesterday.
Officials at Yale — where the school motto is “Lux et veritas,” Latin for “light and truth” — have so far declined to comment on the sexual assault allegation.
According to the Times, Witt’s accuser filed an informal complaint, and the police were never contacted about the matter.
Witt, who set numerous passing records in his three years as a starting quarterback, is no longer enrolled at the school. But he has not graduated.
In the past, Witt often expressed a desire to play in the NFL.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to play at the professional level,” Witt told reporters back in November before he claimed he was not going to seek a Rhodes Scholarship.
“The Rhodes … does affect that. If I win the scholarship, that would put the NFL on hold for at least a year or two.”
David.Knowles@thedaily.com
