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BYU football: Jake Retzlaff responds to civil lawsuit, denies allegations

By Brandon Gurney - | Jun 27, 2025

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff hands the microphone to head coach Kalani Sitake during halftime of a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff’s attorneys filed a response to Utah’s Third District Court on Friday, emphatically denying the allegations of sexual assault filed against him in a civil suit a little over a month ago.

The unnamed plaintiff from Salt Lake City accused Retzlaff of sexual assault back in October of 2023 with Retzlaff’s lawyer, Stephen R. Waldron, responding to the allegations in a court filing on Friday.

“Mr. Retzlaff specifically and categorically denies each and every and all allegations that he bit, raped or strangled AG (the plaintiff), which are ridiculous and bizarre allegations, all of which are false and untrue,” Waldron stated in his response to the court. “Instead, Mr. Retzlaff and AG had a pleasant and entirely consensual evening together, playing video games, and a normal evening of consensual sexual interaction that was uneventful but pleasant, with the plaintiff sleeping over and leaving the next morning to return to Salt Lake City.”

Waldron then responded to each of the allegations specifically in the 14-page legal document, making several arguments in the pursuit of the civil case’s dismissal.

Chief among the arguments was the assertion that Retzlaff and AG exchanged several light-hearted texts following the alleged incident.

From the court document:

After their pleasant evening together in November 2023, the Plaintiff AG continued to interact with Mr. Retzlaff with fun and lighthearted text exchanges, concerning the rivalry between Utah football and BYU football. Some examples of these texts from AG after the new year, during January and February 2024, weeks after their one–night sleepover in November 2023, include AG and Mr. Retzlaff having fun ribbing each other over the Utah/BYU football rivalry, as follows:


Jan. 30, 2024, from AG to Retzlaff: “We (referring to Utah) will win.
Trust.”

Jan. 30, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “Sure whatever you say.”

Jan. 30, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “I’ll bet on it. Ha ha ha.”

Jan. 30, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “What exactly would you bet.”

Jan. 30, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “What are you thinking.”

Jan. 30, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “idk, you tell me.”

Jan. 30, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “no u pick.”

Jan. 30, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “It was ur idea.”

Jan. 31, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “why can’t u just decide.”

Jan. 31, 2024, AG again follows up due to no response from Retzlaff:
“who cares we will win.”

Jan. 31, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “Don’t seem so confident.”

Feb. 1, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “ur coming off of a losing
streak.”

Feb. 1, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “Not against Utah.”

Feb. 1, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “wrong we beat you more.”

Feb. 1, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “We beat you last.”

Feb. 1, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “We? You were still in
Cali[fornia].”

 
Feb. 1, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “And you act like you were
there the last 100 games.”

Feb. 1, 2024, AG response to Retzlaff: “I was.”

Feb. 1, 2024, Retzlaff response to AG: “Oh my bad (heart meme).”
Mr. Retzlaff alleges that because their November 2023 consensual sleepover was pleasant and fun and ended well for both parties, that both AG and Mr. Retzlaff were very comfortable texting each other afterwards, and were clearly having fun weeks later in their flirty text exchanges with each other about the BYU/Utah football rivalry. No mention was made by AG during those post–sleepover text exchanges about their evening together being unpleasant, in any way, and at no point does AG claim she was upset or disappointed about their evening together, instead, AG is clearly enjoying their flirty text banter eight weeks later and is urging Mr. Retzlaff to place a fun or flirty bet on the outcome of the upcoming rivalry football game.
Waldron’s response then questions the timing of the lawsuits’ filing, stating, “Shortly after BYU’s bowl game win against Colorado, the plaintiff AG hired a Salt Lake City lawyer and made her first ever claim of rape linked to a large monetary demand from Mr. Retzlaff, who by that time was being publicly identified as an NFL draft prospect due to the 11–2 season ending in 2024.”
With regards to the plaintiff’s initial allegation of sexual assault with the Provo Police Department, Retzlaff’s lawyers point out it happened four or five days after her encounter with Retzlaff. They also point out that the plaintiff did not name Retzlaff, but alleged that she was assaulted by “a ‘childhood’ friend from Salt Lake City.”
Retzlaff is entering his senior season playing for BYU following his transfer from Riverside College. Retzlaff threw for 2,947 yards and 20 touchdowns last season and was assumed to be the starter for his final senior season in Provo.