Liberty University Announces Investigation Into Jerry Falwell’s Tenure as President

Liberty University has announced an investigation into university operations during Jerry Falwell Jr.’s tenure as president.

Last week Falwell resigned in the midst of personal scandal, after he publicly said his wife was having an affair with a pool boy and alleged he was blackmailing them, and then that pool boy, Giancarlo Granda, spoke out about his relationship with the Falwells and alleged that Jerry watched them (a claim the Falwells have denied).

Falwell came under scrutiny following these revelations, in addition to the scrutiny over a strange photo he initially posted online — and has since apologized for — of his pants unzipped and his belly sticking out during a yacht party.

The university posted a statement Monday saying, “This past week challenged all of us to the core. While we had been willing to extend grace and understanding to Jerry Falwell, Jr. before, once the revelations about his past personal life came more fully to light, we acted swiftly and decisively to ask for his immediate resignation, which we received.”

Liberty announced that they have retained a top forensic firm to investigate “all facets of Liberty University operations during Jerry Falwell, Jr.’s tenure as President, including but not limited to financial, real estate, and legal matters”:

Some may say that all the signs were there for a long time before last week. It’s certainly fair to say that there were questionable comments made, worrying behavior, and inappropriate social media posts, but all the signs were not there until the start of last week. While we still didn’t know the full scope of the matter, we have learned enough about the past to know that we had no choice but to take the leadership of Liberty University in a new direction.

We are also committed to learning the consequences that have flowed from a lack of spiritual stewardship by our former president.