Jaryd Rudolph, the football player charged with unlawful secret recording last March after he allegedly recorded a consensual sexual encounter between his roommate and a female graduate student, has played in all three of Boston College’s football games this fall.
According to a BCPD report, Rudolph admitted to using his phone to make the recording and to forwarding it to his roommate’s phone. The graduate student, who did not consent to the alleged recordings, claimed that she only learned of them after comments were made to her by members of the football team.
Rudolph, a native of Plympton, Mass., was issued a summary suspension by the University immediately after the charges were made public. A summary suspension removes a student from campus until their case can be adjudicated by the Dean of Student’s Office (DSO).
“The case was adjudicated by experienced administrators in student affairs who issued appropriate sanctions,” said University Spokesman Jack Dunn. “Having met the conditions of his sanctions, Rudolph was reinstated to the football team in August. The University considers the matter closed.”
The female student’s lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, is unhappy with Rudolph’s reinstatement, but more importantly with the fact that BC never notified him or his client of the reinstatement.
“It is disappointing that an investigation was done by Boston College, when Boston College is responsible for the actions of Jaryd Rudolph,” Garabedian said. “It’s basically a kangaroo court that made the decision when investigating the actions of Jaryd Rudolph.
“The inappropriate actions of Boston College were compounded by Boston College not even notifying either myself or my client that Jaryd Rudolph would be reinstated and playing football for Boston College. Why didn’t Boston College inform me or my client about Jaryd Rudolph being reinstated to play football?”
Garabedian believes that Rudolph’s reinstatement has “re-victimized” his client, and said that the entire matter has been a “nightmare” for his client.
“One would think that Boston College, in order to conduct a proper investigation, would speak to the victim. But that did not take place,” Garabedian said. “As an institution, Boston College is setting a poor example as to how to conduct an appropriate investigation with regard to such a moral subject.”
On the other hand, Rudolph’s attorney, Timothy Burke, applauded BC’s handling of the matter.
“I think Boston College has acted in a completely appropriate fashion,” Burke told The Boston Globe. “They have evaluated the case objectively on the facts, without emotion, and imposed the disciplinary sanction that was appropriate.”
Although University officials cannot disclose specific sanctions given to students, The Boston Globe reports that Rudolph’s sanctions imposed by the University include counseling from a University doctor, sessions with a campus minister, a research paper on Tyler Clementi, the 18-year-old Rutgers University student who committed suicide after his roommate used a webcam to record him kissing another man, and a Road’s Retreat in Sandwich, Mass.
According to the DSO website, the Road’s Retreat is designed for students “on the edge.”
“This retreat has been designed to empower students to make respectful and responsible decisions in regards to their personal lives, and how that might affect their role as BC community members.”
Rudolph is due to return to Brighton court on Sept. 28.
