
BYU QB Jake Retzlaff faces suspension, likely to leave program
Retzlaff's lawyers denied the allegations in a response to the lawsuit filed on June 28, describing them as "ridiculous and bizarre."
REQUIRED READING: BYU QB Jake Retzlaff denies sexual assault allegations in response to lawsuit
BYU, which is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has an honor code that states that students must "live a chaste and virtuous life," which includes "abstaining from sexual relations outside marriage between a man and a woman."
The university has issued disciplinary measures against athletes before for premarital sex, perhaps most notably in March 2011, when standout forward Brandon Davies was dismissed from the university's men's basketball team, which was No. 3 in the country at the time.
In his first and potentially only full season as the Cougars' starter, Retzlaff helped guide BYU to an 11-2 mark and a victory in the Alamo Bowl against Deion Sanders and Colorado. Retzlaff completed 57.9% of his passes for 2,947 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also rushing for 417 yards and six touchdowns.
He gained national attention beyond the field as a Jewish quarterback representing a school with an overwhelmingly LDS student population, earning him the nickname "BYJew" and a name, image and likeness deal with kosher food company Manischewitz.
Should Retzlaff leave, BYU has two other quarterbacks on its roster: McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, who transferred into the program from Utah State and Western Michigan, respectively.
News of Retzlaff's suspension and likely departure was broken by the Salt Lake Tribune, citing unnamed sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Israeli settlers rampage at a military base in the West Bank
TEL AVIV, Israel — Dozens of Israeli settlers rampaged around a military base in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing military vehicles, spraying graffiti and attacking soldiers, the military said. Sunday night's unrest came after several attacks in the West Bank carried out by Jewish settlers and anger at their arrests by security forces attempting to contain the violence over the past few days. More than 100 settlers on Wednesday evening entered the West Bank town of Kfar Malik, setting property ablaze and opening fire on Palestinians who tried to stop them, Najeb Rostom, head of the local council, said. Three Palestinians were killed after the military intervened. Israeli security forces arrested five settlers. Far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has often defended Israelis accused of similar crimes, offered a rare condemnation of Sunday's violence. "Attacking security forces, security facilities, and IDF soldiers who are our brothers, our protectors, is a red line, and must be dealt with in full severity. We are brothers," he wrote on X. Opposition leader Yair Lapid told Israel's Army radio that the riots were carried out by "Jewish terrorists, gangs of criminals, who feel backed by the (governing) coalition." A hard-line supporter of Jewish settlements, Ben-Gvir was previously convicted in Israel of racist incitement and support for terrorist groups, and has called for the deportation of all Arab citizens from Israel. Though once widely shunned by Israel's politicians, Ben-Gvir's influence has grown and alongside a shift to the right in the country's electorate has further emboldened violence from extremist settlers in the West Bank. Footage on Israeli media showed dozens of young, religious men typically associated with " hilltop youth," an extremist movement of Israeli settlers who occupy West Bank hilltops and have been accused of attacking Palestinians and their property. The footage showed security forces using stun grenades as dozens of settlers gathered around the military base just north of Ramallah. The Israeli military released photos of the infrastructure burned in the attack, which it said included "systems that help thwart terrorist attacks and maintain security." Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed Monday to "eradicate this violence from the root," and implored the extremist settlers to remember that many of the security forces are exhausted reservists serving multiple rounds of duty. Over the past two years of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Palestinian residents in the West Bank have reported a major increase in Israeli checkpoints and delays across the territory. Israel, meanwhile, says threats from the West Bank against its citizens are on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, and Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The West Bank is home to some 3 million Palestinians who live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, and 500,000 Jewish settlers. The international community overwhelmingly considers settlements illegal.


The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
BYU QB Jake Retzlaff faces suspension, likely to leave program
Retzlaff's lawyers denied the allegations in a response to the lawsuit filed on June 28, describing them as "ridiculous and bizarre." REQUIRED READING: BYU QB Jake Retzlaff denies sexual assault allegations in response to lawsuit BYU, which is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has an honor code that states that students must "live a chaste and virtuous life," which includes "abstaining from sexual relations outside marriage between a man and a woman." The university has issued disciplinary measures against athletes before for premarital sex, perhaps most notably in March 2011, when standout forward Brandon Davies was dismissed from the university's men's basketball team, which was No. 3 in the country at the time. In his first and potentially only full season as the Cougars' starter, Retzlaff helped guide BYU to an 11-2 mark and a victory in the Alamo Bowl against Deion Sanders and Colorado. Retzlaff completed 57.9% of his passes for 2,947 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while also rushing for 417 yards and six touchdowns. He gained national attention beyond the field as a Jewish quarterback representing a school with an overwhelmingly LDS student population, earning him the nickname "BYJew" and a name, image and likeness deal with kosher food company Manischewitz. Should Retzlaff leave, BYU has two other quarterbacks on its roster: McCae Hillstead and Treyson Bourguet, who transferred into the program from Utah State and Western Michigan, respectively. News of Retzlaff's suspension and likely departure was broken by the Salt Lake Tribune, citing unnamed sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.


Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Major update in sexual assault case against BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff is reportedly expected to leave the school after he admitted violating BYU's ban on premarital sex. Retzlaff is currently fighting a sexual assault lawsuit, with the quarterback denying allegations that he 'bit, raped or strangled' a woman in November 2023. The 22-year-old is BYU's first ever Jewish quarterback but, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, he is now likely to leave the program. BYU is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and both students and employees are expected follow a strict Honor Code. Among the rules is a ban on sex before marriage, with students ordered to 'live a chaste and virtuous life'. Retzlaff has denied the allegations of sexual assault, but he admitted on Friday that he had 'consensual' sex with the woman, who has been identified only as 'Jane Doe A.G.' Jane Doe's lawsuit states she did not immediately disclose Retzlaff's name to Provo police, but later informed them that it was the BYU quarterback, only to be told victims 'never get justice' According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Retzlaff is expecting to be hit with a seven-game suspension for violating the school's Honor Code. That would rule him out of more than half of the 2025 season and so the quarterback is reportledy expected find another school to continue his college career. 'Jane Doe' is seeking $300,000 in damages over the alleged sexual assault. The lawsuit, filed in Utah in late May and obtained by Daily Mail, also claims Provo cops encouraged the woman to remain silent, allegedly telling her: 'Sexual assault victims never get justice.' But representatives for the quarterback hit back earlier this week, branding the allegations 'ridiculous and bizarre' as well as 'false and untrue'. 'Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled [the woman], which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue.'