Jerry Falwell Jr. denied multiple media reports he had resigned Monday as president of Liberty University after 13 turbulent years at the helm of the prominent evangelical Christian school.
Politico had reported the news based on a Liberty University spokesperson, which NBC News could not confirm. But Falwell soon after told Politico he did not resign and did not know why the spokesperson had said otherwise.
Falwell also denied the reports in an interview on Monday evening with Virginia Business, saying they were “completely false.” He told the economic news outlet that he informed the Liberty University Board of Trustees earlier in the summer that he would be taking a “break.”
The school placed Falwell on an indefinite leave of absence Aug. 7. In a statement Friday, university officials said the “decision whether or not to retain Falwell as president has not yet been made.”
Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty Univ. & a champion of President Trump, has resigned after the publication of a news story that alleged he and his wife Becki had a years-long sexual relationship with a business associate, via Religion News Service. https://t.co/SDSYByh6ag
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) August 24, 2020
Jerry Falwell Jr. has resigned as president of Liberty University, Religion News Service has learned. https://t.co/T7JJ0ylvuY
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 24, 2020