Yale basketball captain Jack Montague expelled, according to his father
Yale men's basketball captain Jack Montague, a senior, hasn't played for the Bulldogs since Feb. 6 amid controversy at the New Haven university. His status at the Ivy League school was changed to "withdrawn" on Feb. 10, though it wasn't exactly clear why.
On Friday, his father, Jim Montague, told the New Haven Register that he's actually been expelled, calling the reason "ridiculous."
"We have strict orders from our lawyers," he said on why he's been advised not to comment. "Soon enough, I'd love to tell the other side of the story. It's ridiculous, why he's expelled. It's probably going to set some sort of precedent. We're trying to do things the gentleman's way, so we're keeping things close-knit. But you guys will get a story."
Montague's situation has created a difficult situation on campus. Posters have been plastered on walls at the university, accusing the basketball team for "supporting a rapist." Last Friday, his teammates wore shirts during shootaround with the Yale logo spelled backward, and Montague's nickname, "Gucci" on the back.
Justin Sears, a forward on the team, said spelling 'Yale' backward wasn't a shot at the school. Instead, it was a last-minute way to avoid copyright infringement.
"'Yale' spelled backwards wasn't to make a statement. It's just because Yale is a brand and there was a copyright," Sears told the Yale Daily News. "It was just convenient, at the last minute. Everyone on the team supported it and wanted to show our support for Jack.
"We just wanted to make it as clear as possible that Jack is one of our brothers. He's family to us and we miss him."
The team has stood by Montague through all of this turmoil. Whilei they showed support publicly, players have not commented on his situation directly, or any knowledge they have of his possible wrongdoing.
As Jim Montague noted in his statement, the full story should come to light in the near future.
