Jayden de Laura speaks at Pac-12 Media Day about sexual assault allegations
Jayden de Laura was prepared for the question and came with a statement about sexual assault allegations against him.
The Arizona quarterback spoke Friday at Pac-12 Media Day in Las Vegas. About 3 months ago, de Laura agreed to settle a civil lawsuit stemming from a 2018 criminal sexual assault case that was handled in juvenile court in Hawaii.
Also in May, Arizona issued a statement that said the quarterback would be allowed to “continue his status as a student-athlete.” The statement says his standing in the program remains “unchanged.”
De Laura, who started all 12 games for the Wildcats last season, transferred to Arizona ahead of the 2022 season and before the program said it learned of the matter. He spent the first 2 years of his career at Washington State.
By Friday, his statement made it clear he’s ready to move on:
“I want to start off by saying I understand the importance of the question being asked at this time. As well as the fact that as journalists, everybody has a job to do. But just believe me that there’s nothing I would like to do but clear my name if I could, defend myself from what’s being written,” he said. “However, I hope you understand that I’m bound by the law to not discuss this matter at all. I just do not intend to break the law. What I can say today is that I’m grateful for the University of Arizona for assessing the facts in this matter and allowing me to continue my education as a student-athlete. I would also like to thank Thomas Otake and Philip Miyoshi for correcting the misinformation that’s been reported that stated that I pled guilty or was convicted of sexual assault, which is what was written. It’s a privilege to be a quarterback at the University of Arizona. I want to ensure the Wildcat community that I’ll continue to be responsible and respectful leader on the field, in the classroom, and in life. With that being said, I kind of would like to turn our focus to football now.”
Arizona QB Jayden de Laura speaks about the sexual assault allegations pic.twitter.com/U0YLKzBJZJ
— Brad Denny (@BDenny29) July 21, 2023