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PROVO — BYU starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman at his home in 2023, according to a civil lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The woman said she and her friend "went over to Retzlaff's apartment to hang out and play video games. Before the night was over, Retzlaff raped, strangled, and bit (the woman)," according to the civil lawsuit filed in 3rd District Court.
As of Wednesday, no criminal charges had been filed against Retzlaff.
Retzlaff's attorney, Mark Baute, issued a statement Wednesday in response to the lawsuit saying his client's innocence will be established.
"I have met him, and he is a nice young man. He is also factually innocent, and we look forward to proving that innocence. Jake's focus this year will be on football. We don't try cases in the media. We will respect the process and establish Jake's innocence through the judicial system," Baute said.
BYU also released a statement Wednesday afternoon.
"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," BYU officials said.
The incident is alleged to have occurred on Nov. 22, 2023, when the woman and a friend went to Retzlaff's residence in Utah County. Retzlaff met the woman a month earlier over social media.
After the woman's friend left, she and Retzlaff began watching a movie. During the movie, Retzlaff began kissing the woman, who stated she didn't want to do anything more, according to the lawsuit.
However, the suit contends that Retzlaff continued to "escalate" the situation by inappropriately touching her.
"Retzlaff's touching then turned more into pinching her hard, and (the woman) pushed his hand down. By that point he was causing her pain. Despite this, Retzlaff continued to escalate the situation. (The woman) wanted to leave, but was scared and felt like she could not get away," the lawsuit alleges.
The woman claims her reaction made Retzlaff angry and that "he started to shout at her, and she reached for her phone to call someone, but her phone was dead," according to the suit. "Afraid Retzlaff would start yelling again or take her phone from her, she moved to the side of the bed, plugged her phone in, and laid there, waiting for it to charge so she could call her friend."
After the woman heard Retzlaff snoring, she thought she could get away. But when she started to move, the lawsuit says Retzlaff woke up and pushed her back onto the bed and inappropriately touched her again.
"He was so much stronger, heavier, and taller than (her) that she felt trapped and scared and was having trouble breathing," according to the lawsuit.
At one point while forcefully kissing the woman, Retzlaff bit her lip and left a cut, the lawsuit alleges, adding that he then "put his hands around her neck" and sexually assaulted her.
The woman, who is from Salt Lake County, states in her lawsuit that she went to local hospital where a rape kit exam was performed several days after the alleged attack. She says she was also contacted by Provo police, but at that time she wasn't ready to give them Retzlaff's name.
"She was scared and in shock and not ready to confront him," the lawsuit claims.
Later, however, an officer reached out to the woman again after "someone else filed a complaint against a football player and the police wanted to see if it was the same person," the lawsuit contends. "At that point, (she) shared Retzlaff's name, and the Provo police then encouraged her not to do anything because, as they claimed, 'sexual assault victims never get justice.'"
The Provo police, however, denied the comment in a statement released late Wednesday, saying, "From everything we have reviewed, this is not true," speaking to the alleged comment about sexual assault victims.
The department said it was made aware of the civil suit Wednesday but was not served a legal filing related to the case. Police records indicated a report by phone was made Nov. 27, 2023, from a woman with the same initials as the woman who filed the lawsuit, the department said.
"She was treated with courtesy and care," the statement of the corresponding report said. "The complainant in that case was given several opportunities to identify her abuser. She declined to do so, as is her right, and the case was subsequently closed."
Police said that evidence collected from the complaint was examined and revealed "no actionable investigative leads." The department's victims advocates followed up "several times to offer services," but received no response, the statement added.
"We have a team of dedicated investigators and victim advocates whose sole mission is to provide justice to victims of sexual abuse," the department said. "They do not send people away, warning them there is no justice for victims. Our Special Victims Unit investigations regularly result in criminal accountability for offenders."
Provo police added that they hope the woman "chooses to make a statement to further the criminal investigation if desired."
The lawsuit accuses Retzleff of battery, assault and causing emotional distress and states that the woman "continues to experience extreme post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma symptoms.
"As a direct and proximate result of Retzlaff's unlawful conduct, (the woman) suffered emotional distress, humiliation, embarrassment, mental distress, anxiety, and other damages in an amount to be proven at trial, but which are greater than $300,000 each," the lawsuit states.
Retzlaff signed with BYU in January 2023 after two seasons of junior college football in California.
After playing in four games while redshirting later that year, the rising senior and first Jewish starting quarterback in school history rose to national prominence by leading the Cougars to an 11-2 season last fall, throwing for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns, and running for 417 yards and six scores en route to a No. 13 national ranking in the final Associated Press Top 25.
Contributing: Sean Walker, KSL.com
