BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake has broken his silence after his star quarterback, Jake Retzlaff, was accused of rape and strangulation in a stunning lawsuit.
Sitake broke his silence on Tuesday, as the Cougars’ spot at the Big 12 Conference’s media days took place.
Retzlaff had reportedly been set to transfer from the Provo, Utah school amid the controversy, with his head coach finally speaking publicly on the matter.
‘We love Jake Retzlaff. It would be inappropriate for me to make a statement on his behalf. I’m going to give him the opportunity to do that,’ Sitake said from the stage at AT&T Stadium.
On Tuesday, Retzlaff was still listed on the Cougars’ active roster. The sexual assault case against the BYU star has reportedly been dismissed – but the quarterback is still expected to leave the school.
Retzlaff denied the allegations that he ‘bit, raped or strangled’ a woman in November 2023. The woman, named only Jane Doe A.G., was seeking damages of more than $300,000.
BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake has broken his silence on star quarterback Jake Retzlaff
Jake Retzlaff was accused of rape and strangulation in a stunning lawsuit last month
Retzlaff is rumored to be dating BYU softball player Jaelynn Lambert, who is another California native. The quarterback has posted pictures of himself with the outfielder on Instagram
Last month, however, the two sides filed a joint motion for dismissal, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The order was reportedly signed by a judge but precise details remain unclear.
The settlement paves the way for the quarterback to transfer out of BYU after he admitted violating the school’s ban on premarital sex.
The 22-year-old is BYU’s first ever Jewish quarterback but, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, he is set to decide on a new school in the coming days.
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’.
Though Retzlaff denied the allegations of sexual assault, he admitted that he had ‘consensual’ sex with the woman.
That left Retzlaff expecting a seven-game suspension for violating the school’s Honor Code, which would rule him out of more than half of the 2025 season.
The lawsuit, filed in Utah in late May and obtained by Daily Mail, also claimed Provo cops encouraged the woman to remain silent, allegedly telling her: ‘Sexual assault victims never get justice.’
