Approached by Utah-based KSLSports.com at this week’s Big 12 spring meetings in Orlando, several school officials representing BYU athletics said they had nothing new to add regarding a civil lawsuit filed against BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff last week.
The lawsuit filed on May 21 alleges Retzlaff sexually assaulted a Salt Lake County woman referred to as Jane Doe A.G. on Thanksgiving Eve in 2023.
As of Friday, no criminal charges have been filed against Retzlaff, who recently graduated from BYU but has one year of football eligibility remaining.
BYU President C. Shane Reese, athletic director Brian Santiago and head football coach Kalani Sitake all referred Mitch Harper of KSL Sports to a statement BYU released hours after the news broke on May 21 and offered very little information beyond that.
Santiago, who replaced Tom Holmoe on May 13, did tell the news outlet that BYU officials “found out about it when others found out about it.”
He added, “We want to respect the privacy of Jake. We want to respect the privacy of the university. We want to respect the privacy of those involved as the matter gets worked out, and have full confidence that the right thing will happen moving forward.”
Here is the statement from BYU, issued by the school’s athletic department just before 5 p.m. MDT on May 21:
“BYU became aware today that a civil lawsuit involving Jake Retzlaff had been filed this morning. The university takes any allegation very seriously, following all processes and guidelines mandated by Title IX. Due to federal and university privacy laws and practices for students, the university will not be able to provide additional comment.”
California-based attorney Mark Baute then issued a statement saying he is representing Retzlaff and called his client “factually innocent” and said they “look forward to providing that innocence.”
According to the KSL Sports report, Reese told the outlet he didn’t “have much to say on” Retzlaff’s status with BYU and added that such a response from him was probably expected.
Sitake, who is entering his 10th season as BYU’s head coach, reportedly said he “can’t add any additional comment” due to the federal and university privacy laws referenced in the original BYU statement.
Santiago called the query a “fair question” and reiterated that it is a “private matter.”
“Our responsibility is to care for our student-athletes,” Santiago told KSL Sports. “Certainly, it is a tough situation. It would be ignorant not to say it’s a tough situation, but it is a private matter that’s going to be handled privately.”
In addition to naming Retzlaff as a defendant, the lawsuit names “Does 1-50” as possible defendants, which veteran Utah attorney Greg Skordas told the Deseret News could mean any individuals or institutions that the plaintiff identifies moving forward who may have concealed the incident, or failed to take steps to protect the plaintiff from Retzlaff.