Jerry Falwell, Jr., the embattled president of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, has reportedly resigned his post at the Christian college.
His decision to leave the university “effective immediately” came just hours after Reuters published a bombshell report detailing an alleged years-long tryst involving Falwell, his wife, Becki, and a Miami-based pool assistant, Giancarlo Granda.
On Sunday night, Jerry Falwell released a 1,200-word statement disclosing an affair Becki Falwell entered into with Granda, though he suggested the romance, which began in 2012, was short-lived, adding he and his wife reconciled quickly.
The now-former university executive went on to accuse Granda of attempting to extort his family, threatening to disclose details of the relationship.
Granda, for his part, pushed back against Jerry Falwell’s recounting of the affair. Rather, Granda, now 29, said the salacious relationship lasted for several years and involved both Becki and Jerry Falwell. In addition to his comments, Granda also provided Reuters with an audio recording in which Becki and Jerry Falwell purportedly allude to the sexual nature of their since-ended relationship with Granda.
The pool assistant claimed there were numerous sexual liaisons over the course of seven years. He said they took place in Miami, New York, and at the Falwell family’s home in central Virginia, near Liberty’s sprawling campus.
All of this comes not long after Jerry Falwell was placed on an indefinite leave of absence after he posted a questionable photo of himself and a young woman, later revealed to be Becki Falwell’s assistant, to his Instagram account. He has since deleted the post.