BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff accused of sexually assaulting woman in 2023 in new lawsuit
This article contains depictions of alleged sexual assault.
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff has been accused of sexual assault in a new lawsuit filed on Wednesday, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
A Salt Lake County woman filed an anonymous lawsuit on Wednesday that accused Retzlaff of sexually assaulting her in November 2023. The woman also reported the incident to the police, though Retzlaff has not been criminally charged.
In her lawsuit, the woman said that Retzlaff assaulted her in 2023 after they had first connected on social media about a month earlier. The woman and a friend had gone to Retzlaff's home to hang out one night, per the report, and the woman stayed back after her friend left. Retzlaff and the woman then started watching a movie in his room and eventually started kissing.
The woman said in her lawsuit that she "did not want to do anything more" than that, but Retzlaff continued to try to "escalate things." Retzlaff allegedly tried touching her sexually and told her to give him oral sex.
After the woman "reacted in a way that made Retzlaff angry," the lawsuit claims, Retzlaff "started to shout at her." The woman tried to call someone on her phone, but realized it was dead and started to charge it. As she was lying on his bed waiting for her phone to power up, the woman said Retzlaff briefly fell asleep.
Eventually, the woman said that Retzlaff woke up again and started forcefully kissing and touching her. She repeatedly told him to stop, per the report, but Retzlaff continued and ended up having sex with her.
The woman went to a hospital a few days later to have a rape kit examination done. She reported the incident to the police, too, but initially did not name Retzlaff out of fear. She later told Provo police Retzlaff's name after an officer asked her who he was because 'someone else filed a complaint against a football player, and the police wanted to see if it was the same person.' That same officer later encouraged her not to do anything about it, per the report, as 'sexual assault victims never get jsutice.'
Neither Retzlaff's family, BYU police nor Provo police responded to The Tribune's requests for comment. The woman is suing Retzlaff for alleged battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Retzlaff transferred in to BYU in 2023, and he led the program last season as its starting quarterback. The 21-year-old threw for 2,947 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Cougars to an 11-2 record.
Retzlaff is the first Jewish starting quarterback at BYU, too. The school is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and holds all students to a strict honor code that includes prohibiting premarital and extramarital sex whether or not they are a member of the Mormon church. The school has punished athletes in the past for violating these rules. In 2011, for example, Brandon Davies was dismissed from the basketball team after he admitted to having sexual relations in violation of the honor code. It's unclear if Retzlaff will face discipline from the school.
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