Liberty University accepts Falwell's resignation: Here's a timeline of his scandals
Liberty University accepted Jerry Falwell Jr.’s resignation on Tuesday from his roles as president and chancellor of Liberty University as well as a spot on its Board of Directors. The resignation is effective immediately.
“Falwell’s severance compensation was dictated by the terms of his pre-existing employment agreement without any adjustment by the University or its Board,” Liberty’s online statement reads.
Falwell resigned from his roles Monday and then withdrew his resignation, according to the university, before telling reporters that he had sent his resignation letter to the board.
“The board put me on leave, took away my duties as prez, and that’s not permitted by my contract,” Falwell told the Wall Street Journal late Monday night. “And they put me on leave because of pressure from self-righteous people.”
Falwell had told the Washington Post at 10:15pm that he had not resigned. On Monday, more reporters said on Twitter Falwell Jr. had confirmed his resignation.
The initial news of Falwell’s resignation came just hours after a Reuters report in which family friend and business partner Giancarlo Granda alleges he had an affair with Falwell’s wife, with his knowledge and participation. The couple met Granda in 2012, when he was 20 and a pool boy at a resort in Miami.
Falwell Jr., in a 1,200-word statement given to the Washington Examiner on Aug. 23, says that his wife Becki had a short-lived affair with Granda, but after that they forgave each other and Granda remained their business partner.
Falwell also said that Granda had been threatening to reveal the details of the affair unless he was paid “substantial monies,” and that this had been significantly contributing to his depression.
In the Reuters article published one day later Monday, Granda tells a different story: he says that he slept with Becki while Falwell “looked on,” and was part of the relationship.
It’s one in a long string of scandals that has surrounded Falwell and his family, who have for many years occupied a Kardashian-type level of influence on and around the evangelical Christian community.
Don’t know who Falwell is, or don’t know why you should care? This timeline details his family’s important status in the American evangelical community and details many of the scandals that finally led to his resignation.
Timeline compiled by Jillian Cheney.
Jillian Cheney is a Poynter-Koch fellow for Religion Unplugged who loves consuming good culture and writing about it. She also reports on American Protestantism and Evangelical Christianity. You can find her on Twitter @_jilliancheney.
Meagan Clark is the managing editor of Religion Unplugged. She previously reported retail and economic news for International Business Times, and human rights and religion stories from India for several outlets like Indian Express, the Wire and Scroll.in. Follow her on Twitter @MeaganKay.