The mess at Yale: Historic March Madness berth clouded by sex assault saga

Ivy League mystique, a historic basketball achievement and a messy sex scandal all combine to make Yale perhaps the nation's most intriguing team entering March Madness. 

Jack Montague, the basketball team captain, was expelled mid-season following sexual misconduct allegations levied by a fellow student, according to his attorney. He vehemently denies the allegations. Montague's former teammates publicly supported him -- then apologized for doing so. Now he's suing the university. 

And, oh -- amid it all, Yale is making its first March Madness appearance since 1962. 

When Yale beat Columbia 71-55 earlier this month, the Bulldogs won the Ivy League championship and locked up their first March Madness berth in 54 years. The win was a huge one; Yale's streak of missing the NCAA Tournament was the nation's second-longest. 

That joy was tempered, however, by the controversy surrounding Montague -- and his teammates' support of their former captain.

Montague, who is 22 years old, was expelled from the school -- and thereby kicked off the team -- in early February, after an accusation by a female student. The alleged assault took place in 2014, and Montague was expelled following an investigation by a university committee. 

The controversy at Yale comes at a time when those in sports are deservedly casting increased scrutiny on the treatment of female athletes, fans and reporters. From the NFL to boxing and beyond, sexual entitlement and violence are under a bigger microscope than ever. The issue of sexual assault on college campuses is also receiving more scrutiny -- again, for good reason. 

But while Montague may have been kicked out of school and off the basketball team, he did not become an outcast among his former teammates.

On Feb. 26, Montague's old squad warmed up for a game against Harvard in shirts that read "Gucci" across the back -- a reference to Montague's nickname. The shirts also featured Montague's number -- 4 -- and "Yale" spelled backwards across the chest. 

Their actions were met with swift and vehement blowback. Fliers were posted around campus, showing Montague's former teammates wearing their warmup shirts and this caption: "YALE BASKETBALL: STOP SUPPORTING A RAPIST."

The players then released an apologetic statement, which said the team "fully supports a healthy, safe and respectful campus climate" and that its "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."

The statement apologized "for the hurt we have caused" and said "we hope to use our positions on and off the court in a way that can make everyone proud.”

So is Jack Montague the latest example of athletic entitlement run amok? Or has he been wrongly accused, forced to watch from the sideline while his teammates live their March Madness dream without him? 

'We're still a team, no matter what'

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Montague's attorney, Max Stern, fired back publicly for the first time on Monday, issuing a statement denying the allegation, presenting his client's version of events and announcing plans to sue Yale. 

Montague and his accuser had a sexual relationship that included four encounters, according to Stern. The encounter in question is the last of those four, Stern said, and took place in October 2014. Montague's accuser says she did not consent to sex at that time; Stern disputes this. Montague says the sex was consensual, and that his accuser returned to his room later to spend the night. 

Stern says a Yale Title IX official filed a complaint on the woman's behalf more than a year later, in November 2015. A university panel investigated and ruled against Montague for "sexual misconduct." The basketball captain was expelled Feb. 10 of this year, according to Stern. No criminal charges were ever filed. 

Montague's attorney called the ruling against his client "arbitrary and excessive by any rational measure." He said Montague was cast as a "whipping boy" after Yale came under fire for mishandling of sexual assault allegations. 

In 2012, Yale settled a federal complaint about its protocol for sexual assault allegations, pledging to respond more effectively to them. Meanwhile, a 2015 study by the Association of American Universities reported that a quarter of Yale undergraduates had experienced at least one sexual encounter that "does not meet Yale's standards for consent." The report said that 18.1 percent of undergraduates had experienced at least one incident that included "force or incapacitation" as well.

Amid this climate, Stern said in his statement, the university expelled Montague for a baseless accusation.

Yale declined an Associated Press request for comment on the Montague case, but defended its handling of sexual assault accusations in general. 

"Yale has been oblivious to the catastrophic and irreparable damage resulting from these allegations and determinations," Stern said. "The expulsion not only deprives Jack of the degree which he was only three months short of earning, but has simultaneously destroyed both his educational and basketball careers."

Montague plans to file a federal lawsuit against the Connecticut university, according to Stern. 

Meanwhile, his former teammates prepare for a historic March Madness matchup against Baylor on Thursday. The 12-seed Bulldogs are a trendy pick to pull off the upset over Baylor, but any glory will come without their former captain. 

Or will it? 

"Jack's one of our teammates, our brothers," Yale forward Justin Sears told the Associated Press on Sunday, when tournament match-ups were announced. "We're a team still, no matter what."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.