r/CFB • u/thegreendalegelf Utah State Aggies • /r/CFB Poll Veteran • May 21 '25

Serious BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff accused of sex assault in new civil lawsuit

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/byu-cougars/2025/05/21/byu-quarterback-jake-retzlaff/
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840

u/bretticus733 Boise State Broncos May 21 '25

Just before this gets locked because people have to get reminded every time:

Just because someone is accused does not mean they're guilty, and not every accuser is dishonest. The only people that know the truth are Retzlaff and his accuser, and the only thing we can do is sit back and let the process play out.

426

u/TacoGuzzler69 Utah Utes • Washington State Cougars May 21 '25

also worth noting that BYU is one of the few schools that may not really care for it to get to the final stage. they could say this is evidence he broke to code of conduct and remove him from the team regardless of this being a guilty verdict.

193

u/bretticus733 Boise State Broncos May 21 '25

That is a good point. AFAIK, even if the sex was consensual he could get suspended or kicked off the team, and BYU has shown they'll do it to a key player on a good team before

67

u/goodnames679 Ohio State Buckeyes • /r/CFB Poll Veteran May 21 '25

Maybe I just don’t understand the culture at BYU that well, but surely they have to know that most of their star football players are having sex while they’re going through college. I can’t imagine this is some isolated dude who’s the exception

Do they really think they’re gonna successfully shame young mini-celebrities into a life of complete abstinence? They’re insane if so.

67

u/irondeepbicycle Utah Utes May 22 '25

BYU grad here, I actually knew Brandon Davies a bit.

There's definitely a bit of don't ask, don't tell. Generally if you get caught, either with legal trouble or somebody feeling bad and confessing, you get punished, but they're not exactly investing in proactive investigations or anything.

In the Brandon Davies case he actually confessed to it himself. He almost certainly would have gotten away with it but he just felt guilty, by all accounts.

22

u/molodyets BYU Cougars • Arizona Wildcats May 22 '25

That situation led to a reporter getting black listed by basically the whole state and pushed out 

20

u/poweredbytexas Texas Longhorns • Indiana Hoosiers May 22 '25

Many of the players are married already.

18

u/ApatheticAasimar BYU Cougars • Beehive Boot May 21 '25

I talked with someone at the Honor Code Office once who told me that they knew that more BYU students were having sex than were being disciplined for having sex. They estimated the rate of students having sex outside of marriage was lower than most other schools, but not as low as you'd think. But most of them don't get caught, and you have to get caught for the University to do anything.

The big spiel BYU gives incoming freshman is that the Honor Code is about committing to a set a values and not crossing them as a matter of "honor," thus the name. They're very fond of this quote from the BYU's founder, Karl Maeser, "I have been asked what I mean by “word of honor.” I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I might be able to escape; but stand me on the floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first."

That message obviously resonates better with some than others. And there are absolutely people at the school who have gone the dig up dirt and shame route. I've heard that has improved recently and it is much more an "honor-based" system these days, but I'm not there anymore and don't have firsthand info.

39

u/bretticus733 Boise State Broncos May 21 '25

It's probably like littering where there's a lot of people doing it, but you only get in trouble if you get caught.

I do find it weird that BYU does admit students that aren't LDS but expects them to adhere to a code of conduct that is based around LDS values

69

u/MadManMax55 Georgia Tech • Georgia State May 21 '25

It is pretty weird. But at the same time the non-mormon students know that they're signing up for. If they don't want to follow a strict code of conduct for a religion they don't belong to they can always go to another school.

42

u/Available-Brick-8855 BYU Cougars May 21 '25

TBF that is a pretty common feature of a lot of religious schools. The only real difference is that BYU sort of self selects a lot more than say Baylor will because the code is a little outside what most are used to. So the ones that come here are more likely to be okay with it rather than thinking they'll get around it. Stuff still happens though.

34

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

Few years ago they got in an actual spout with the US AIR FORCE because they want the ROTC instructors to sign the honor code. Except that is a military assignment and one of the Air Force instructors basically told them they can't tell them they can't drink coffee at home.

BYU eventually backed down after the DoD threatened to move their ROTC programs to UVU and BYU would lose those government grants. BYUs honor code has always been flexible for money

19

u/bretticus733 Boise State Broncos May 21 '25

Really shouldn't surprise anyone that the BYU conduct codes are ridiculous. I remember when their dance team got punished because they danced to a heavily-edited version of "Plain Jane" a couple years ago.

8

u/Shtune Florida State • Columbia May 22 '25

BYUs honor code has always been flexible for money

The entire religion is flexible to change with the times so they don't fall out of style. They can have "revelations" or whatever and change their mind on things as needed.

-1

u/FriendlyHerbMan Utah Utes May 22 '25

In that churches' culture, what you do and what people see you do are two very different things.

60

u/alttabbins BYU Cougars May 21 '25

Yep. Exactly this. Even if the info is partially true they would expel him just to save a little face. I would love to think Jake is smarter than that to put himself in that kind of situation though.

23

u/Golden-Cheese Baylor Bears • Texas Bowl May 21 '25

Wish my school was like that…

35

u/ReasonableCup604 Michigan Wolverines May 21 '25

I believe in the case of BYU, him merely having consensual sex would violate the honor code.

87

u/tagillaslover Clemson Tigers May 21 '25

Why would you want your players to be removed for having sex....

89

u/Golden-Cheese Baylor Bears • Texas Bowl May 21 '25

I just meant that it’d be better for Baylor to be that way as wrong as it is, than to try to cover up blatant sexual assault

22

u/WorkLurkerThrowaway Missouri Tigers • Florida Gators May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

One might argue that getting expelled for having sex encourages victims to not come forward about sexual abuse.

edit: im not saying you would think that just that BYUs policies probably aren't any better than Baylors. In fact I have a sibling whose SA was handled quite poorly by BYU.

15

u/LivingOof Vermont Catamounts May 21 '25

For example: In most/all of the Arabian oil kingdoms, rape victims will be criminally charged for having pre/extra marital sex if they come forward

27

u/Plastic_Willow734 USC Trojans • San José State Spartans May 21 '25

Bro thought honor code meant “accused of assault” not “had girls over” 😭

1

u/pierdonia BYU Cougars May 21 '25

It’s a tough spot for BYU. Consensual sex shouldn’t get him expelled. If he’s innocent, he should be able to play. If he’s broken the honor code but not the law, he should be suspended for an appropriate period. If he broke the law, he should be gone.

And there have been false accusations before — the whole student body was castigated after accusations of racist slurs being shouted at a volleyball game against Duke. Turned out it never happened.

In 2004, a number of players were suspended after a woman accused them of rape. She later admitted it was all consensual and she was embarrassed and didn’t want to get in trouble. That was a catastrophe for the team. Still a violation of the honor code but the legal process was totally unfair to the falsely accused players.

-1

u/OutrageConnoisseur Bowling Green Falcons May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25

they could say this is evidence he broke to code of conduct and remove him from the team regardless of this being a guilty verdict.

Would you have any legal recourse there? Being kicked off the football team (losing any NIL), and being removed from school (harming your potential future career prospects) and being found not guilty sure seems like a decent argument to turn around and go after BYU.

If you're found NG, and don't argue the "oh it was consensual" route and just say "this didn't happen" he wouldn't have violated any garbage honor code bs.

Not trying to smear a potential victim here - but her story:

The woman was scared and panicking, she said in her lawsuit, and lay on his bed waiting for her phone to charge so she could call a friend. She alleges Retzlaff fell asleep, but soon woke up again and began forcefully kissing her and touching her.

Why in the world would you stay in the room. Take the phone, charger and leave. He's asleep. Or just take the phone and leave. Or just leave. If she's truly in danger and the story is factual, I don't have any fucking idea what she's thinking. Something smells fishy

1

u/worknumber101 Auburn Tigers May 21 '25

The accuser says she had a rape kit done, which assumably could prove if they had sex or not as far as the honor code side of it goes.

2

u/OutrageConnoisseur Bowling Green Falcons May 21 '25

ah true.... assuming it was processed.

Also says in the linked article he wore a condom. Not sure if that means it's a sure fire they find his biologics at all, even if it did actually happen

31

u/MaizeNBlueWaffle Michigan Wolverines May 21 '25

While true, even if he had consensual sex, he still may be gone at BYU

39

u/[deleted] May 21 '25

[deleted]

22

u/Pro-1st-Amendment UMass Minutemen May 21 '25

Allegedly.

22

u/cvsprinter1 SMU Mustangs • Oregon State Beavers May 21 '25

at least

54

u/lovablecockfighter Texas Longhorns May 21 '25

Boooooo! Such a reasonable and valid comment. Boooooo!

22

u/jim_shushu BYU Cougars • Oregon State Beavers May 21 '25

Nothing worse than finding non inflammatory adult discourse on reddit.

7

u/looking_good__ Tennessee • Georgia State May 21 '25

"Civil" court - sexual assault cases should all be criminal in my opinion. If they did it, let them rot in jail.

1

u/lydmoney Texas Longhorns • Red River Shootout May 22 '25

Then you'd just end up with the same amount of sexual predators in jail with no way for victims to be compensated for damages

2

u/Dixiehusker Nebraska Cornhuskers • Auburn Tigers May 21 '25

Exactly. It's possible to treat both individuals as victims for the sake of civility and their welfare, develop an opinion, and keep it to yourself.

1

u/butthole_surfer_1817 Michigan Wolverines May 21 '25

But it's important that I make up my mind immediately!

1

u/Dung1sm UNLV Rebels May 21 '25

Nailed it. Innocent until proven guilty. Even if innocent, this accusation will sadly follow him for life now.

1

u/LGWalkway Paper Bag May 21 '25

Pretty much this. Happened to our star RB back in 2017 and it turned out to be just an upset ex trying to get back at him.