Brigham Young University star quarterback Jake Retzlaff has been accused of rape in a civil suit that claims he assaulted a woman in 2023.
The filing also said that the woman claimed Provo, Utah, police sought to dissuade her from filing charges against Retzlaff.
The woman, identified as Jane Doe A.G., asserted in the lawsuit that the incident took place at Retzlaff’s home in November 2023, according to a May 21 report from ESPN.
“A year and half after the rape and strangulation, Jane Doe A.G. continues to experience extreme post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma symptoms as she works to process what happened and move on,” the lawsuit said.
The suit added, “At some point after speaking to the police, an officer reached out to her asking for the name because someone else filed a complaint against a football player and the police wanted to see if it was the same person.”
“At that point Jane Doe A.G. 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 lawsuit continued.
In a statement from attorney Mark Baute, Retzlaff denied the allegations, according to People.
The statement said Retzlaff was “factually innocent.”
“We look forward to proving that innocence,” Baute said. “Jake’s focus this year will be on football.”
According to the lawsuit, Retzlaff ignored the woman’s instruction to stop.
“At some point they began to kiss, but Jane Doe A.G. did not want to do anything more,” the suit said, claiming that “Retzlaff began escalating the situation.”
The complaint said the woman “tried to move away, and said ‘no,’ and ‘wait, stop.’”
The lawsuit said the football player was “angry” when the woman tried to use her phone to get help.
“He was so much stronger, heavier, and taller than Jane Doe A.G. that she felt trapped and scared and was having trouble breathing,” the lawsuit alleged.
The lawsuit said she was raped with the athlete’s hands around her neck. “It hurt so bad and caused so much pain that Jane Doe A.G. passed out,” the lawsuit said, adding that she left after Retzlaff fell asleep.
“A few days later, Jane Doe A.G. presented to the hospital where a rape kit was performed and pictures taken of the cut on her lip and the bruises around her neck and on her inner thighs,” the lawsuit said.
On Friday, Provo police released a report of an incident they believe to be the one in question, according to the Deseret News.
The report said the woman reported that she blacked out during the evening.
“She mentioned that his hand went around her neck for a bit. She recalled waking up and leaving after blacking out,” the report said. “When asked directly, she stated that the encounter was not consensual ‘that I can remember.’”
Police later closed the case after the woman did not identify the man she alleged to have raped her.
Provo police released a statement denying they discouraged the woman from reporting the alleged rape, according to ESPN.
“The civil suit states that Provo Police personnel discouraged the victim from proceeding, by telling her there is no justice for victims of sexual abuse,” the police statement said. “From everything we have reviewed, this is not true. We have a team of dedicated investigators and victim advocates whose sole mission is to provide justice to victims of sexual abuse. They do not send people away, warning them there is no justice for victims.”
Retzlaff led BYU to being ranked 13th in the nation on the AP Top 25, according to ESPN.
According to BYU, Retzlaff was a co-captain in 2024 and a First Team All-Big 12 pick by the College Football Network.
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