Jake Retzlaff is embracing some new nicknames.

“BYJew” is an endearment of the past for the Jewish quarterback who used to start for Brigham Young University, the Mormon flagship in Provo, Utah.

Now, “Kosher Cannon,” “Shabbat Shotgun” and “Bayou Jew” are among the monikers mentioned by the sizeable Jewish community at Retzlaff’s new school, Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It’s a fresh start for Retzlaff, and one he wasn’t necessarily seeking until May, when he was named in a civil sexual assault lawsuit that has since been dismissed.

As a result of the lawsuit, Retzlaff announced last month that he would leave BYU after drawing a suspension for violating the school’s famously strict honor code. Retzlaff described the relationship as consensual but admitted that he had engaged in premarital sex, which BYU prohibits.

Retzlaff maintains that he loved playing for the school, despite being one of only three Jews on BYU’s predominantly Mormon campus.

“BYU was an amazing place. It made me into an amazing human being. I feel like it helped me grow in so many ways on and especially off the field,” Retzlaff said, wearing a Star of David on a chain around his neck. “It helped me connect stronger with my faith than I did before, because I was in a place where it was so faith-oriented that it was just........

© The Times of Israel