Yale Coach Quits After Rhodes Lie Exposed

Yale quarterback Patrick Witt made headlines last month when he ditched his Rhodes Scholarship interview to lead his team against Harvard. But his decision was influenced by a fib from coach Tom Williams, the New York Times reports. The coach told Witt that he had been in almost identical circumstances and never regretted choosing football—but it turns out that Williams was never a Rhodes candidate or applicant, let alone a finalist.

Williams resigned yesterday amid a Yale investigation into whether he had lied about being a Rhodes candidate on his résumé. The coach says he was encouraged to apply while at Stanford 20 years ago, but never did so. "I considered the opportunity, sought advice, and was encouraged to apply by faculty members and my coach, Bill Walsh. But I did not apply," he says. Williams also admitted that, contradictory to information on his official Yale biography, he never signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers, but had taken part in a three-day tryout camp. (More Tom Williams stories.)