Central Michigan University denied admission to its potential 2020 starting quarterback due to a pair of Title IX complaints.
Jeff Duffey graduated from Texas Tech and intended to transfer to Central Michigan, but that is no longer the case due to legal troubles.
“Jett Duffey was not admitted and is not a student at Central Michigan University,” Central Michigan director of communications Heather Smith said in an email to Central Michigan Life on Wednesday. “Thus, there is nothing the president or anyone else at the university would be able to comment on.”
Duffey threw for 4,077 yards and 26 touchdowns in three seasons at Texas Tech, but he consistently had trouble off the field. He was suspended in 2017 after he was found responsible for two counts of sexual assault against an incapacitated woman. In 2018, he was one of four Texas Tech football players booked into Lubbock County Jail after a disturbance outside a nightclub.
A third incident — and second Title IX complaint — occurred in 2019 and played a key role in Central Michigan’s decision not to admit Duffey. A female student said that Duffey sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated, with the case ending in “voluntary resolution.”
She told police that Duffey gave her drugs and raped her, filing a sexual assault complaint with Texas Tech on March 18, 2019 — nine days after the incident.
“I woke up sometime in the afternoon the next day,” she said, according to Central Michigan Life. “I was just wearing his athletic shorts. I had bruises all over my arms, neck and legs.”
"Jett Duffey is a talented and gifted athlete," Duffey’s attorney Chuck Lanehart said in a text message to Central Michigan Life. "He deserves a chance to continue his college playing career. It is true he was accused of Title IX allegations, and he has always maintained his innocence. Texas Tech authorities found him not responsible for the 2019 allegation. He has never faced criminal charges or been arrested in regard to these allegations."
Related content: NCAA to Mull Revising Sexual Violence Policy
Duffey has had trouble finding a new school. He announced he was transferring to Tulane on Jan. 10, but was denied academic admission, according to Nola.com.
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reported on Jan. 18 that Duffey was headed to Central Michigan, with ESPN noting later that day that he would qualify academically.
Related content: Rule Makes it Harder for Sexual Offenders to Transfer
Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain is in need of a quarterback, as Quinten Dormady graduated and David Moore is suspended until October after testing positive for a banned substance.
