Yale QB Patrick Witt’s Football Over Rhodes Scholarship Decision Reportedly a Sham

You remember the big to do in November about Yale quarterback Patrick Witt’s decision to play in The Game against rival Harvard over interviewing for a Rhodes scholarship? Apparently the whole thing was a big sham.

The New York Times reports that several days before Witt announced he was choosing to withdraw his candidacy as a Rhodes scholar because the interview conflicted with the Harvard game, his candidacy had been suspended. The Times says the Rhodes Trust learned about an informal sexual assault allegation made against Witt by a female student in September.

Even though Witt knew he was no longer a candidate for the scholarship, he continued to act like he was. His act of deception mirrors what happened with his coach, Tom Williams, who lied about having a similar Rhodes scholarship predicament 20 years earlier. Williams also lied on his resume and resigned in December.

The Times’ report “is based on interviews with a half-dozen people with knowledge of all or part of the story; they all spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing matters that the institutions treat as confidential.” If you’re interested in this story, I highly recommend you read their entire report.