A civil lawsuit against BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, which accused him of rape, has been thrown out, according to court documents.
Both sides agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, which means it cannot be brought back to court. This decision ends the lawsuit that was filed last month. No one from either side was available for comment right away.
Retzlaff is planning to transfer from BYU as he could face a seven-game suspension for breaching the school’s honor code by admitting to having premarital sex during the legal process, sources told ESPN. He has started informing coaches and teammates about his decision to leave, sources added.
Retzlaff had been training with the team and taking part in summer workouts and practices. The team is currently on break until July 7.
The BYU staff has been stepping up their training for the three backup quarterbacks—McCae Hillstead, Treyson Bourguet, and Bear Bachmeier—because they expect Retzlaff might not be available.
A woman accused Retzlaff of raping, strangling, and biting her in November 2023. In a legal response submitted on Friday, Retzlaff’s lawyer denied these claims but stated that Retzlaff did have consensual sex with the woman.
The response pointed out that Retzlaff and the woman exchanged friendly text messages for several months after the incident and described the lawsuit as an attempt to extort money since Retzlaff became an NFL prospect about a year later.
However, the lawsuit tells a different story about what happened.
Both the complaint and the response agree that Retzlaff and the woman met through social media, which led her to visit his apartment to play video games around November 22, 2023. She came with a friend, and some of Retzlaff’s friends and teammates were also there.
Later that night, after her friend left, Retzlaff and the woman started watching a movie and began kissing. The lawsuit claims that while “Retzlaff began escalating the situation,” “Jane Doe A.G. tried to de-escalate it by pulling away and saying ‘wait.’ She did not want to engage in any sexual activity with him.”
The lawsuit claims that the woman repeatedly told Retzlaff to “no” and “wait, stop,” but he ignored her and kept assaulting her. When she attempted to get off the bed, the lawsuit states, in explicit detail, that Retzlaff grabbed her by the neck and raped her.
A few days later, she went to a hospital where they conducted a rape kit and took photos of her injuries. According to the lawsuit, she spoke with police from Provo, Utah, but at first did not mention Retzlaff’s name.
So far, no criminal charges have been brought against Retzlaff.
After the lawsuit was filed, BYU released a statement saying, “The university takes every allegation very seriously and follows all the processes and guidelines required by Title IX. Because of federal and university privacy laws for students, we cannot provide any further comments.”
Retzlaff is not the first well-known BYU athlete to receive a long suspension for breaking the honor code regarding premarital sex. In 2011, basketball player Brandon Davies was kicked off the team— which had a record of 27-2 and was ranked No. 3 in the nation—and was also suspended from school. He returned that fall. In 1999, running back Reno Mahe faced suspension from school and had to leave the football team. He moved to a junior college before coming back to BYU.
Retzlaff, who has graduated from BYU, is likely to put his name in the transfer portal soon. He started 13 games for the Cougars in 2024, his first year as a starter, helping the team achieve an 11-2 record. He threw for 2,947 yards and achieved 20 touchdowns along with 12 interceptions.
