Yale quarterback Patrick Witt, who attracted national attention when he faced a decision between playing in the Nov. 19 Harvard-Yale football game or attending an interview for a Rhodes Scholarship, reportedly did not have a choice at all.
According to the New York Times, Witt’s candidacy for the prestigious scholarship was suspended prior to the interview date due to allegations of sexual assault against the student. The Rhodes Trust received word “through unofficial channels” that an anonymous female at Yale had accused the quarterback of sexual assault without filing a formal complaint, the Times reported.
In response, the foundation asked Yale President Richard C. Levin and other officials whether Witt still had their endorsement. Before Yale made a formal decision, according to the Times, Witt announced his intention to play in The Game and withdraw his application for the scholarship.
Many questions remain about what happened in the week before the Bulldogs took the field—with Witt as a starter—and were dominated by Harvard, 45-7. It is unclear how much Witt, Yale officials, or the Rhodes Trust knew about the assault allegations at any point.
According to the Times, Witt has already finished his coursework. Though he is working on his senior essay, he is not enrolled at Yale and is instead preparing in California for the upcoming NFL draft.
Witt is still listed on the Yale College Online Facebook, according to the Yale Daily News.
Witt could not be reached for comment early Friday morning.
A three-year starter for the Bulldogs, Witt transferred to Yale from U. Nebraska after the 2008 season—in part because he wanted to escape the attention that came with being a football player on a Big 12 campus, The Boston Globe wrote at the time.
But Witt found himself in the spotlight again when he revealed that his final interview for the Rhodes Scholarship coincided with the 2011 iteration of The Game. After Witt announced his intention to compete against Harvard rather than for the scholarship, national media outlets championed him as the consummate team player.
Witt, who is attempting to find a spot in the NFL, now faces a different kind of scrutiny.
Before the allegations, character was often cited by commentators as one of Witt’s strengths, according to Eric Galko, director of scouting for a website which discusses prospective NFL draft picks. Galko said that Witt was ranked the 23rd best quarterback in this year’s class. Other websites have him ranked as highly as 17th.
The recent news, Galko said to The Crimson, could be a “huge detriment” to his draft potential.
“NFL teams have whole security teams to look into stuff like this,” Galko said.