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PATRICK WITT
POSTED BY EIZ ON THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2012, 7:14 AM
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CAMBRIDGE, MA - NOVEMBER 20: Patrick Witt #11 of the Yale Bulldogs looks to pass as Josue
Ortiz of the Harvard Crimson defends on November 20, 2010 at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Harvard defeated Yale 28-21.
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PATRICK WITT
POSTED BY EIZ ON THURSDAY, 19 JANUARY, 2012, 7:14 AM
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CAMBRIDGE, MA - NOVEMBER 20: Patrick
Witt #11 of the Yale Bulldogs looks to
pass as Josue Ortiz of the Harvard
Crimson defends on November 20, 2010
at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Harvard defeated Yale 28-
21. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Photo by Elsa/Getty ImagesOn Friday, the New York Times published a story revealing that Yale’s
football hero, Patrick Witt, may have been involved in an instance of sexual assault. Witt was the
quarterback who became a media idol after electing to play in the Harvard-Yale game, scheduled
for the same day as his Rhodes scholarship interview.
What we know: An anonymous source alerted the Rhodes Trust to a (deeply murky) informal
complaint lodged against Witt in September. The trust then requested an additional letter of
support for Witt’s candidacy from Yale. And at some point near or during this swirl of sub rosa
communications, the student-athlete decided to forfeit his Rhodes scholarship interview for the
game.
Friday morning, frustrated by a university that finds ever-new and inventive ways to heap ignominy
on itself, and mourning my lost sports idealism, I banged out an angry blog post criticizing Yale for
promoting an untruth—namely, that Witt had withdrawn his Rhodes application out of loyalty to his
team. I assumed that Witt had actually declined the interview because he believed his candidacy
was compromised by the sexual assault complaint.
But, as commenters have pointed out, we don’t know when Rhodes informed Yale that they wanted
a letter of re-endorsement for Wit, nor when (or if) Yale told Witt his application was in jeopardy. I
shouldn’t have concluded that Patrick Witt made his decision to play at Harvard-Yale in light of
doubts about his Rhodes application. And I shouldn’t have automatically faulted Yale for acceding
to the narrative in which Witt chooses team fealty over personal glory.
At the heart of the story are those off-record charges that no one can prove or disprove. And though
I believe in protecting the privacy of complainants, such vagueness and secrecy is unfortunately