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Subscribe to RSSThe New York Times' Richard Perez-Pena shares details from a report about the quiet collapse of Patrick Witt's Rhodes Scholar candidacy amidst claims of sexual assault.
Patrick Witt, the 22-year-old Yale quarterback who made headlines in November when he chose to lead Yale against arch rival Harvard University over an interview for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship may not have been faced with that tough choice after all.
According to a New York Times article, the Rhodes Trust suspended Witt's candidacy several days before he announced he had removed himself from consideration on Nov. 13, 2011.
According to the article, the Rhodes Trust had learned several days earlier "through unofficial channels" that a Yale student had accused Witt of sexual assault.
In a statement released Friday, Mark Magazu, Witt's agent, said,"The New York Times story incorrectly connects Patrick's decision to forego the Rhodes Scholarship with an informal complaint process that had concluded on campus weeks prior to his withdrawal – a process that yielded no disciplinary measures, formal reports, or referrals to higher authorities."
Citing interviews with several unnamed sources “with knowledge of all or part of the story,” the Times reported a female Yale student approached the school’s assault response center in September alleging that Witt had sexually assaulted her in her dorm room. She later also made a complaint to the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct, according to the article.
Students at Yale can file formal or informal complaints with this committee, and the university maintains confidentiality in both cases. Yale College Dean Mary Miller told the Yale Daily News that she is only notified of formal complaints.
An informal complaint, which the Times reported was filed against Witt, leads to either brief or no investigation and can be resolved within a few days. Magazu's statement claims Witt's request to the sexual misconduct committee for a formal inquiry was denied because "there was nothing to defend against since no formal complaint was ever filed." Witt considered the matter closed.
The statement claims Witt was aware an anonymous source had contacted the Rhodes Trust about the informal complaint. It goes on to say that Witt and the woman who filed the informal complaint had had an on-again, off-again relationship that began in the spring of 2011 and ended two months before the complaint was filed.
Magazu's statement on behalf of Witt went on to say, "To be clear, Patrick's Rhodes candidacy was never "suspended", as the article suggests, and his official record at Yale contains no disciplinary issues."
Elliot Gerson, the American secretary for the Rhodes Trust, declined to comment on whether Witt's candidacy was indeed suspended.
Witt attended Commencement in May, 2011 and returned to Yale in the fall to complete his studies as a second-semester senior. He told the Yale Daily News on Jan. 8 that he had “already graduated,” but, according to the college paper, University spokesman Tom Conroy said Thursday night that Witt has not graduated. Conroy told NBC News that was not uncommon.
According to the statement, Witt completed all necessary coursework and will graduate upon completing his senior essay this spring.
Witt has been training in California in preparation for the Feb. 22-28 NFL Combine at Indianapolis, according to the Yale athletics website.
Witt found out on Oct. 31, 2011 that he was one of the 212 finalists for the Rhodes Scholarship, which provides full financial support for scholars to pursue a degree at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. But the date of the mandatory interview in Atlanta coincided with "The Game," a longstanding football rivalry between Harvard and Yale taking place in New Haven, Conn.
Witt, the most accurate passer in Yale University history, spoke with NBC Nightly News in early November about the tough decision he was facing.
"It's thrilling," Witt said at the time, "but, again, it's a big dilemma."
On the one hand, the opportunity to be a Rhodes Scholar, Witt said, is tremendous. “And it is a difficult process. There are plenty of excellent candidates every year that aren’t selected, so that’s one part of it,” he said.
On the other, the game against Harvard would be Witt’s last college game. “And I’ve invested a lot of time. This is a sport I’ve been playing since I was a kid.”
Witt, a history major with a 3.91 grade point average, told Nightly News he wanted to study international relations at Oxford in preparation for a career in politics. "At the end of the day, the best advice I've been given is ‘this is your decision and you have to do what's right for you,’” he said at the time.
Witt transferred to Yale in 2009 from the University of Nebraska, where he had a four-year athletic scholarship as a quarterback for the Cornhuskers. While the football was challenging, Witt told Nightly News he felt frustrated in the classroom.
The Texas native graduated from high school early and enrolled at Nebraska in January 2007, where he participated in spring drills. He prepared as Nebraska’s No. 3 quarterback throughout the year, but redshirted. Off the field, Witt posted a 4.0 grade-point average.
In December 2007, Witt was arrested on suspicion of trespassing in a student dorm, third-degree assault by menacing threats, and possession of a false ID, according to an article published in the Lincoln Journal Star. The paper reported Witt signed in with a different name and went up to a floor without waiting to be escorted.
Police told the paper Witt pushed a dorm resident assistant several times, making threatening remarks. Police told the paper Witt also showed signs of alcohol intoxication and his blood alcohol content was 0.115.
The Times reported a second arrest came in New Haven in 2010 for third-degree criminal trespass and was sparked by a disagreement when Witt was denied entry into Toad's Place, a club near the Yale campus.
In the statement released on his behalf, Witt's agent wrote that "Patrick respects the academic traditions of both Yale and the Rhodes Trust, and he remains grateful for the opportunities each has afforded him."
In an appearance Friday on MSNBC’s NewsNation, Times education reporter Richard Perez-Pena, who wrote the article, defended the reporting. While anonymous, the sources are “unimpeachable,” he said.
Several comments on the Times website had criticized the story as “lazy reporting” and “sensationalism.” The story “was filled with innuendo and numerous anonymous sources,” a commenter called Lillian wrote.
“Had [Witt] not been a Rhodes candidate, this isn’t something that we would have reported on,” Perez-Pena said.
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yet another rich kid getting in trouble because of his genitals.
What, it never happens to poor kids?
How do you know he is from a rich family. Have you not heard of scholarships. Since he is a football player he may be getting a full ride to play football. You are making assumptions without facts.
If he isn't rich he soon will be!
If he isn't rich he soon will be!
If he isn't rich he soon will be!
Auzziegirl: You are repeating yourself!
Have you not heard of scholarships. Since he is a football player he may be getting a full ride to play football. You are making assumptions without facts.
The Ivy League does not allow athletic scholarships, so he is definitely NOT getting a full ride because he plays football. Speaking of not having facts...glass houses Bill, glass houses.
He sounds like a real piece of CHIT
Mark- You're right that they don't allow athletic scholarships. However, they do find very creative ways to allocate "financial Aid" I know first hand. I'm not asserting that it happened here. I'm just saying...
And Frisky- yes, that has happened. But, really? All women are losing credability because of a few gold diggers? WOW.
The rich, the entitled are really starting to pi** me off. For the most part they are phonies. And what's the deal about his quarterbacking skills? It's the Ivy League for Christ's sake. That's Pooh-Pooh football. They made a big deal of this loser on NBC Nightly News with Pretty Boy Williams..If that kid's a Rhodes Scholar than the whole selection process is flawed, I'd like this clown to take a few snaps at Alabama or LSU or Oregon-he'd poo-poo his pants. This is a non-story. He's a non-human rich dude and Yale now, as always, is nothing more than a sophisticated high school for Right Wing dead beats.
yeah all rich people are evil demons, we should line them all up against the wall and shoot them so all we holy righteous pure poor people can live in peace and enjoy real football
No. Evil demons is harsh andinaccurate. Self absorbed, selfish, smug, well, yeah. Shoot them, no. Pee on their lawn, maybe. For the most part the rich are fine. It's just when this Yalie QB starts believing things like what he plays at New Haven is actually football and he has this diluted sense hat he's worth anything more than he is because of inherent privilege, well it's nauseating. I've seen him play. He actually sucks to use the vernacular.
Who said the kid is rich? To even think of getting into Yale, you have to start with a pretty good set of brains.Based on your post, you aren't even a tenth round scholorship candidate
Like the good set of brains George Bush had? That may have been the case but these days it's who ya know and if ya got enough in the bank. Boy, you gotta be quite the incisive intellect to determine that I am a tenth round scholarship (that's how it's spelled, Spiffy) candidate. You want a good college, try Oxford, Cambridge. Not any of the POS colleges ('cept for Harvard) are even worth talking about. Me, Stanford '76. Not a big deal when put up againsy where you probably went to Kindergarten. Peace. Love ya all even though you are Americans.
My dear Singin',
As one who played in the Ivy-League and was named as an All-American, then went on to play for a certain NY area NFL team I can state that the Ivy-League is certainly more than 'pooh-pooh' football. Ivy football is Div I and Ivy schools have fielded many fine and talented athletes in football as well as many other sports. Prior to my attending an Ivy school I was recruited by many other schools including some of the ones you mention and some that are considered football powerhouses. If that has not pi**ed you off sufficiently, dare I share the details of my very successful Wall Street career that followed my football pursuits; or that I descend from a 5 generation line of Wall Street bankers?
Further, as a multi-generation Ivy-Leaguer, might I ask what school you played for and how much playing time did you see in your illustrious career that so qualifies you to be considered an expert in such matters? Please, enlighten we the troglodytes...
Maybe I was a bit extreme in my criticism and I apologize for offending. That was not my intent or purport. You should get ahold of ABC, ESPN, so on and have them put on national TV games like Dartmouth/Columbia instead of, I dunno, Auburn/Alabama. You get my drift. Relatively speaking, yeah, you guys are athletes and probably pretty good. And what do your Wall Street pursuits have to do with the football observation? Don't answer, I think I know. I played three seasons in the PAC-8 (long time ago) and I am not an expert or come from a line of folks who worked on Wall Street. So I concede, you are the expert and have done everything in your life on your individual merit. But let me ask you this. With a background as you outlined why are you hangin' out with the rest of us on this blog? Ivy League football/NFL/ multi-Wall Street guys must surely aspire to have their opinions heard and read in higher circles. My point exactly. Pooh-Pooh. God bless ya. Peace and be safe.
Wow. Have much envy?
Singin-
I've never seen someone swing from douchebag to insecure 15 year old in 1 fell swoop. What, successfull people can't read and post comments on line? That's pretty revealing... Or, you're just a dick. I'm guessing both.
sounds like he got caught with his pants up...http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=JTMf40ORFE8
If there's any wall today's news media can sling mud against, they'll find it.
the muddy'r the better...
Just another spoiled, good-looking rich kid who never had to take "No" for an answer in his life. Move along, folks. Nothing to see here.
right cause we know he's guilty not because he was ever actually charged with anything but because he's rich. you know, like those evil rich la crosse players at duke
@Frisky
My conclusions are no more ridiculous than yours. I see by your previous posts that you are probably a woman on the man's side of the argument and I am a man on the woman's side of the argument. Either of us could be right because, as Alan Dershowitz pointed out, sexual assault is simultaneously the most over-reported and the most under-reported crime in America. Neither you or I will probably ever know the truth. I do know, if the article is correct, that he has been previously arrested for crimes involving threats and violence.
By the way, the day you become the official spokesperson for Colorado, or the day it actually becomes your state, I will gladly leave.
How do we know he's rich?
It looks like Nancy Grace could make a good start on organizing a lynch mob here.
This guy will make a great politician. He's already on the way to having a great career! NOT!!!
*Yawn* another slow news day
Football is practically a footnote in the Yale experience (as it should be), and for those criticizing the "entitled rich kids" who go there, that wasn't my experience there at all. They are some of the smartest, hardest working people I have ever met.
The guy may be book smart, but he lacks the logic and seemingly, self-control, to be a contributing member to society. Hopefully, he shapes up and realizes that he may have an atheltic gift, but that can ans hsould be quickly stripped from him if he pursues behaving like an entitled jerk.
Seems like an intelligent, good looking kid, who, because of his football skills has been constantly told how wonderful he is to the point of becoming a bit of a sociopath. Hopefully he will outgrow this and not go on to become a GOP candidate for President.
Happy day everyone. Joe Scarborough needs to get a life. I hate hearing him on Morning Joe!
Don't watch ir, I don't, can't seem to tune in Fox News anymore these days, I hate it when I know what they are going to say before they say it.
Don't watch ir, I don't, can't seem to tune in Fox News anymore these days, I hate it when I know what they are going to say before they say it.
Don't watch it, I don't, can't seem to tune in Fox News anymore these days, I hate it when I know what they are going to say before they say it.
Kay, he's all you can hear on that loud am show! It's a treat when he allows a guest to finish a thought.
And there no proof of a sexual assault. It was a girl he had an on and off again relationship. It is possible they were together one night and she wanted to get back together and he didn't. That isn't rape.
STILL Another reason to have the GIRLS go to a Separate School!
OR Grow Up IF you want to go to School with the BOYS!
OR Just stay home and wait for the Boys to come to YOU?
If he isn't rich he soon will be!
"Singing in the pain" is a sour grapes loser. Witt is 6 ft four and 235 lbs and is trying out for the NFL. That makes him ten pounds heavier than Tom Brady. I'm sure that he will hold his own in the NFL combine and will probabaly be signed. Another reason: The chances are that he is smart. After all, even Tom Brady graduated from Michigan. The chances are also that he is at Yale on a scholarship. Not a football scholarship but an academic one since Yale doesn't give football scholarships. As far as this third degree maybe assault, it has been so overused now by rejected girls that it carries no weight.
No investigation no evidence.......no story.
No investigation no evidence.......no story.
"Singing in the pain" is a sour grapes loser. Witt is 6 ft four and 235 lbs and is trying out for the NFL. That makes him ten pounds heavier than Tom Brady. I'm sure that he will hold his own in the NFL combine and will probabaly be signed. Another reason: The chances are that he is smart. After all, even Tom Brady graduated from Michigan. The chances are also that he is at Yale on a scholarship. Not a football scholarship but an academic one since Yale doesn't give football scholarships. As far as this third degree maybe assault, it has been so overused now by rejected girls that it carries no weight.
"Singing in the pain" is a sour grapes loser. Witt is 6 ft four and 235 lbs and is trying out for the NFL. That makes him ten pounds heavier than Tom Brady. I'm sure that he will hold his own in the NFL combine and will probabaly be signed. Another reason: The chances are that he is smart. After all, even Tom Brady graduated from Michigan. The chances are also that he is at Yale on a scholarship. Not a football scholarship but an academic one since Yale doesn't give football scholarships. As far as this third degree maybe assault, it has been so overused now by rejected girls that it carries no weight.
"Singing in the pain" is a sour grapes loser. Witt is 6 ft four and 235 lbs and is trying out for the NFL. That makes him ten pounds heavier than Tom Brady. I'm sure that he will hold his own in the NFL combine and will probabaly be signed. Another reason: The chances are that he is smart. After all, even Tom Brady graduated from Michigan. The chances are also that he is at Yale on a scholarship. Not a football scholarship but an academic one since Yale doesn't give football scholarships. As far as this third degree maybe assault, it has been so overused now by rejected girls that it carries no weight.
No investigation no evidence.......no story.
"Singing in the pain" is a sour grapes loser. Witt is 6 ft four and 235 lbs and is trying out for the NFL. That makes him ten pounds heavier than Tom Brady. I'm sure that he will hold his own in the NFL combine and will probabaly be signed. Another reason: The chances are that he is smart. After all, even Tom Brady graduated from Michigan. The chances are also that he is at Yale on a scholarship. Not a football scholarship but an academic one since Yale doesn't give football scholarships. As far as this third degree maybe assault, it has been so overused now by rejected girls that it carries no weight.
Hey, Big Black Dog, how do my comments make me a sour grapes loser? Why do you have to get nasty unless that the environment you were brought up in just has you falling into that simpleton retort.Do you even understand the 'sour grapes concept?'I doubt it. I understand that Ivy League schools do not give athletic scholarships as such. And, I am not saying he is not smart. What i am saying is that the moron passed up an opportunity for a chance to get a once in a lifetime free pass into academia and he passed it up to lose (and big time) to Harvard all in the name of ma game that is nothing more than a back yard bar-b-cue. Now it seems he was out of consideration for it because of his behavior (yet unproven). How does that make me a sour grapes loser?If my dog could throw a football I would not want him playing in the Ivy League.
And, oh yeah, Big Black Dog. Your post has appeared five times. Same message. I'll concede the Sour Grape Loser only if you will admit you are a Techno Geek Moron. I mean there are not that many buttons one has to be aware of. So concentrate on mastering the basics, like not peein' on your shoes or turning right at 2nd base. Hey, love ya, man. You're as stupid as the rest of us.
Shocking that the NYT has an issue with an intelligent white male who has done well for himself. He should sue them.