NYT Confirms Yale Basketball Captain Jack Montague Expelled in Sexual Misconduct Case

Last week we learned that Jack Montague, the former captain of the Yale basketball team who last played for the team on February 6th, had been expelled from the university. Details were scarce, but Montague’s father told the New Haven Register that their lawyers had ordered silence, but “It’s ridiculous, why he’s expelled. It’s probably going to set some sort of precedent. We’re trying to do things the gentleman’s way, so we’re keeping things close-knit. But you guys will get a story.”

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Montague’s departure “was in connection with a sexual misconduct accusation.”

Today, the Yale Daily News elaborated:

" A formal complaint was filed against Montague with the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct in November of 2015, several months after an incident of alleged misconduct occurred. The decision to expel him was made on Feb. 10, 2016, and a week later the University provost chose not to grant Montague’s appeal of the decision, according to sources familiar with the facts of the case. It remains unclear if the November formal complaint was the only complaint brought before the UWC. "

The Times story noted that the basketball team has, until recently, been expressing public support for Montague, who has not been formally charged with a crime. His teammates had been wearing shirts that had the former captain’s nickname — Gucci — and number on the back. Further:

" Asked by ESPN about the missing captain after the team had clinched its tournament berth on Saturday, Coach James Jones said: “We love him. He’s a great young man, and we love him.” "

In the face of campus protests, the basketball team has reversed course — on Wednesday, a Yale athletic department staffer Tim Bennett issued this statement:

"Yale Men’s Basketball fully supports a healthy, safe and respectful campus climate where all students can flourish. Our recent actions to show our support for one of our former teammates were not intended to suggest otherwise, but we understand that to many students they did. We apologize for the hurt we have caused and we look forward to learning and growing from these recent incidents. As student representatives of Yale we hope to use our positions on and off the court in a way that can make everyone proud."