BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff accused of battery, sexual assault in civil lawsuit, per report

Retzlaff is in his third year with the BYU football program

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was accused battery, assault, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a recent civil lawsuit filed by an unidentified female in Salt Lake County, Utah, according to the The Salt Lake Tribune. According to the filing, Retzlaff and the female, referred to as Jane Doe A.G., connected on social media and met at Retzlaff's home in November 2023 when the incident occurred. 

"BYU became aware today that a civil lawsuit involving Jake Retzlaff had been filed this morning," BYU said in a statement. "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."   

Jane Doe A.G. reported the incident to the police after undergoing a rape kit examination at a hospital. She initially declined to name Retzlaff for fear that investigators would tell him of the report, but she eventually identified Retzlaff after prompting from a Provo police officer, who noted "someone else filed a complaint against a football player and the police wanted to see if it was the same person."

The lawsuit alleges that Retzlaff continued "escalating the situation" after he and Jane Doe A.G. kissed and continued to engage in sexual acts in spite of Jane Doe A.G.'s consistent refusal. 

"The Provo Police Department is aware of a civil suit involving an allegation of rape made by an anonymous plaintiff against a BYU football player," the Provo Police Department said in a statement provided to KSL.com. "Provo Police Department has not been served any legal filing relating to this civil case. The civil suit includes enough detail of the alleged assault for the department to identify a possible correlating case report. Our records show that on November 27th, 2023, our department received a phone report from a woman with the initials A.G. who gave a similar account. She was treated with courtesy and care. 

"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. Collected evidence was examined, and it revealed no actionable investigative leads."

The Provo Police Department noted that because the civil suit does not identify the alleged victim, it cannot be entirely certain that the referenced police report is the same incident recounted in the court filing, "but it does seem likely given the information we have." 

Jane Doe A.G. seeks punitive damages from Retzlaff. 

Retzlaff is in his third year at BYU after transferring in from Riverside City College in Riverside, California. He started all 13 games for the Cougars in 2024 and completed 213 passes for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns.