Jayden de Laura says he wants to ‘clear his name’ amid sex assault allegations

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Jayden de Laura, the former Saint Louis School star quarterback who is now quarterback for the University of Arizona, says he wants to “clear his name” after details of a sex assault case handled in juvenile court surfaced through HNN reporting.

HNN first reported on the criminal case in May, but de Laura hasn’t spoken publicly until Friday, when he addressed reporters at the PAC-12 media day.

He and a former high school teammate, Kamoi Latu, were prosecuted in juvenile court for sex assault and have since agreed to settle the civil case with their accuser.

“There’s nothing I would like to do but clear my name, if I could, defend myself from what’s been written. However, I hope you understand that I’m bound by the law to not discuss this matter at all,” de Laura’s prepared statement said.

De Laura then said he was grateful for his teammates at Arizona and the school for standing behind him.

Coach Jedd Fisch added, the school tried but was not able to get information about the case.

“We did as much due diligence as humanly possible,” Fisch said the school investigation showed that de Laura was never found guilty of any crimes.

A civil lawsuit that followed prosecution specifically said the players pleaded guilty in juvenile court for the 2018 assault.

Legal experts though have said the words guilty or, not guilty are not part of the juvenile system. Rather the court determines if the defendant is found responsible or not responsible for the allegations.

De laura did not say which one ended his criminal case.

Victor Bakke, an attorney who has defended cases in juvenile court said de Laura can, actually discuss the case and disputes de Laura’s statements that he is ‘bound by law’ not to do so.

“I cannot find any gag order or no-contact order where he’s not allowed,” Bakke said juvenile court is about privacy but said the accused is free to talk about it and defend himself.

“He’s totally free to talk about the proceedings.”

De Laura did get emotional when asked by a reporter how he has been since the news dropped.

“I kind of worried more for my family,” de Laura said as he fought back tears.

The civil settlement was approved by the players and the woman but a judge has not yet approved it because St. Louis school is blocking the deal.

The attorneys for St Louis school, which is also a defendant in the lawsuit, said in court Tuesday that de Laura, who makes about $8,000 a month and got a car through sponsorship deals, should pay more to the woman than the agreed upon amount.

A judge will make a decision on the settlement after more financial records are turned over.

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