Friday, January 27, 2012

Patrick Witt may not have been totally truthful about Rhodes Scholar Candidacy

((ht: nytimes))
Patrick Witt

Wow!

Back in November, OSG Sports along with many other outlets reported on the story of now former Yale quarterback Patrick Witt making a decision about playing in the Yale/Harvard game rather than be in New York for a formal interview for a potential Rhodes Scholarship.

Well, it appears, that decision wasn't as "Painful" nor a statement of support for his team as we were led to believe.

The New York Times reports that Witt apparently had his candidacy for the prestigious honor suspended a week earlier after the trust found that Witt had been accused of sexual assault by an unnamed female student at Yale.

There was never a police report filed and the Times says Yale didn't believe it "fit" the criteria for a formal complaint. And in fact, the incident may or may not ever be truly known.

This comes on the heels of Witt's coach, Tom Williams being forced to resign after it was revealed he put on his resume that he too had been considered for a Rhodes scholarship that he passed on to play in the pros.

Confused?

The Times did extensive research on Witt and rather than try and explain the background, you should really click on the link to their story, it's fascinating.

Read the Richard Perez-Pena story on NYTimes.com RIGHT HERE

Okay then.

The story certainly doesn't paint Witt in a great light. Nor is it kind to Yale. But on the surface, no laws were "officially" broken, no rules violated. Witt appears to have just not been as forthcoming as perhaps he should have. It doesn't take away his academic achievements at Yale nor the accomplishments on the football field.

But it does raise some questions about honesty and truthfulness. There is nothing wrong about boasting about accomplishments like being a candidate for a Rhodes scholar. All anyone, we think, would ask is "Be truthful about what you say".

For more on young Mr. Witt, we give you "Inside Yale Football" from this past year. Thanks for the embed code Yale Athletics:

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