For a couple of weeks in November, the story captivated even the casual college football follower, perhaps because it did not concern (allegations) of child sexual abuse or recruiting violations.
Yale’s senior quarterback, Patrick Witt, the most productive passer in the program’s history, was wrestling with a decision that generated national (attention) and debate. Should he play in the Harvard-Yale game one more, final time, or should he attend an interview in Atlanta as a finalist for a Rhodes scholarship? Because of the schedule of the (events), he could not do both.
The quarterback’s dilemma had an unlikely twist. His coach, Tom Williams, said he had faced almost identical circumstances in 1992 when he was a linebacker at Stanford. Williams said he had chosen to pursue a career in professional (football) at the expense of a possible Rhodes scholarship — and never regretted the decision. Witt leaned on his coach for advice, and eventually decided to play in the (game). Yale was crushed, 45-7.
As it turned out, the shellacking of the Bulldogs by their storied rival in the Yale Bowl on Nov. 19 was far from the worst of it. The appealing back (story) — Williams’s providing counsel to his talented quarterback based on his own experience — turned out to be (founded) on a lie.
The coach had never been in Witt’s position. He had never been a Rhodes scholar candidate or applicant, let alone a finalist, as he had let the (world) believe. He had told Yale he was a candidate with an entry on his résumé. His biography on the Yale Web site said the same thing.
