Jack Montague, the former Yale men’s basketball captain who was expelled in March 2016 for sexual misconduct, has enrolled at Belmont University.
Montague has enrolled in the school’s adult degree program, a course of study designed for adults hoping to complete undergraduate degrees on a time-flexible schedule. Belmont is located in Tennessee, Montague’s home state. In a statement to the school’s student newspaper, the Belmont Vision, Belmont Director of Communications Greg Pillon said the school does not admit candidates that “pose a risk” to the Belmont community.
Pillon and Belmont University Editorial and News Content Director April Hefner did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
Montague is currently suing Yale in an attempt to undo his expulsion and complete his final semester at Yale. In a court deposition last spring, he claimed that he could not apply to other schools because the University would not release his transcripts unless he paid a $3,000 tuition debt.
“Yale respects the privacy of its former students, strives to help them move on with their lives, and would never vindictively withhold a transcript,” University spokesman Tom Conroy said. “If a former student requested a waiver of owed fees because of demonstrated financial hardship, Yale would grant the request. Mr. Montague has informed Yale that he is currently attending Belmont University.”
Karen Schwartzman, Montague’s spokesperson, told the Associated Press on Monday that Yale had released Montague’s transcripts, allowing him to apply to other universities. Montague exhausted his eligibility to play college basketball at Yale and will not take the court for the Belmont Bruins. And because several of his credits did not transfer, Schwarzman said, Montague will have to complete two semesters at the college to graduate.
“Although Jack is still seeking, through the litigation, to be reinstated to Yale and to be awarded the Yale degree he had nearly earned at the time of his wrongful expulsion, he is at the same time trying to move on with his life, and completing his college education is a big part of that,” Schwartzman wrote in a statement to the AP.
Schwartzman did not respond to request for comment on Wednesday night.
Montague’s case received renewed attention earlier this month when a court deposition from March surfaced showing that unidentified Yale alumni had raised between $25,000 and $30,000 to help his legal case.
In a Dec. 12 article in the Belmont Vision, students interviewed expressed concerns about the college’s decision to accept Montague given his expulsion from Yale. But Yale students interviewed said they are satisfied with Belmont’s decision, as long as Montague does not commit any further acts of sexual misconduct.
“Montague faced appropriate disciplinary consequences from Yale for sexual assault,” Helen Price ’18, the co-founder and former co-director of Unite Against Sexual Assault at Yale, told the News. “As long as he doesn’t sexually assault anybody else, he can do whatever he likes.”
Montague’s case is scheduled to go to trial in February 2018.
Hailey Fuchs | hailey.fuchs@yale.edu
Britton O’Daly | britton.odaly@yale.edu