Last month I reported that Yale quarterback Patrick Witt missed his Rhodes Scholarship interview so he could play in his teams rival game against Harvard, now that decision has inadvertently led to the departure of football coach Tom Williams.
According to the New York Times Williams had convinced Witt that missing the chance at a Rhodes Scholarship was one of the best decisions he ever made, telling the QB that he never regretted his decision to choose football over the scholarship. There’s just one problem, Williams never received a Rhodes Scholarship nomination or interview according to an investigation by Yale officials.
Williams had even placed his Rhodes scholarship nomination on his resume when applying for the job at Yale.
When his lie was revealed Williams said he was encouraged to apply for the scholarship while attending Stanford 20 years ago but never did.
“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.
The now former Yale football coach also says that contradictory to his official Yale biography he never signed an NFL contract with the San Francisco 49ers but instead had taken part in a three-day tryout camp.
Do you think Yale should have done more background checking on Tom Williams before taking his word and hiring him for a coaching position at an ivy league school?
