BYU Receiver Charged with Rape

This week, Utah prosecutors brought first-degree felony rape charges against 21-year-old Parker Kingston, who is the leading receiver for Brigham Young University (BYU).

The Washington County Attorney’s Office made the announcement on February 11, following a nearly year-long investigation. A 20-year-old woman reported to St. George Regional Hospital in February 2025 that she had been sexually assaulted. She accused Kingston of attacking her on February 23, 2025, in St. George. Detectives from the St. George Police gathered electronic and physical evidence while interviewing witnesses and those involved before passing the case to prosecutors.

As it stands, authorities are holding Kingston without bail. He is set to appear in Utah’s Fifth Judicial District Court on February 13 at 1:30 p.m. local time.

BYU’s athletic department acknowledged the arrest in a statement to ESPN, saying, “BYU learned of the arrest of Parker Kingston today. The University takes any allegations seriously and intends to cooperate with law enforcement. Due to federal law and the University’s privacy policies regarding students, we cannot provide additional comments.”

Kingston had a standout performance last season, leading the Cougars with 66 receptions, totaling 924 yards and five touchdowns. He had previously announced his intention to return to BYU for his final college season on January 2.

Originally from Layton, Utah, Kingston attended Roy High School before joining the Cougars, as noted by the BYU Athletics website. He is classified as a redshirt junior.

Interestingly, Kingston is not the first BYU football player to face such serious allegations recently. Last May, former quarterback Jake Retzlaff was accused of rape, although both parties later agreed to drop the lawsuit with some restrictions on pursuing further legal action. Prosecutors chose not to file criminal charges against Retzlaff.