Former Yale captain suing school over expulsion, sexual assault accusation
Jack Montague missed the NCAA Tournament. His case became a national topic amid Yale's run
The Associated Press, among other outlets, is reporting that Jack Montague, who was the basketball captain at Yale last season, is suing his former school. This action backs up a promise from Montague's lawyer, who vowed to sue, back in March.
Montague was kicked out of school -- and thus removed from the team -- in February amid reports of sexual misconduct against him. Montague's removal prompted his teammates to wear shirts, emblazoned with his nickname, while warming up during basketball games. That catalyzed many groups on campus to accuse the men's basketball program of supporting a culture of sexual assault, if not rape, against women. One type of flier posted around Yale's campus in early March asked the basketball team to "stop supporting a rapist."
The AP reports Montague's lawsuit was filed on Thursday at a Connecticut federal court.
"The lawsuit says the woman consented in October 2014 to have sex and also asserts she later came back to Montague's room to spend the night," the AP story's states. "It alleges the woman had a relationship with Montague previously and was misled into participating in a complaint process initiated by Yale."
Yale is on record, via a spokesman, that the lawsuit lacks factual clarity and is "baseless." The school will be fighting the suit.
This saga comes after arguably the most successful season in Yale men's basketball history. The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the early 1960s, and when it got there -- with Montague watching from the stands, on hand in Providence -- the Bulldogs defeated Baylor to reach weekend play, where they lost to Duke.
Per a Yale statement, Montague's dismissal "served the desired end: dramatic proof that the university is able and willing to severely punish male students, even the captain of Yale's basketball team, when they 'victimize' female students on campus."
Montague's lawsuit comes during a time when rape and sexual assault are front-burner topics in national media. Former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was recently convicted of rape and sentenced to six months in prison. The sentencing brought on massive backlash.
