Following his recent settlement with the school, former Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. returned to campus Sept. 14 to attend the homecoming football game with his wife, Becki Falwell. For more than three years, the couple had been banned from campus while engaged in back-and-forth lawsuits with the school.
At Saturday’s event, Falwell told reporters, “It’s so wonderful, after spending the better part of 40 years imagining and building what’s here, to be able to come and enjoy it without all of the responsibility on my shoulders.”
Falwell, who served as Liberty president from 2007 to 2020, resigned amid allegations of misconduct and breach of contract. As ChurchLeaders has reported, Falwell and his wife were involved in an extramarital sex scandal.
After he was forced to resign, Falwell sued Liberty, aiming “to restore my reputation and hopefully help repair the damage to the Liberty University brand in the process.” Falwell’s father, the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr., founded the evangelical institution in 1971. Last year, the elder Falwell’s trust sued Liberty, claiming the school had exploited the late conservative figure’s name, likeness, and image (NIL).
Jerry Falwell Jr.: ‘Wonderful’ To Be Back at Liberty
At the homecoming game, Liberty students warmly welcomed the Falwells back. “We see [students] in town,” said Jerry Falwell. “They come up to us and talk to us and want to get pictures, and that was always happening the whole time.”
Becki Falwell said it “feels like we’re back home.” The couple always loved attending football games, with the “great family-friendly environment,” she said. The Liberty Flames beat University of Texas at El Paso 28-10.
About his time away, Jerry Falwell Jr. said:
I was so sick for over a year-and-a-half after I left, with this rare genetic thing that took [doctors] a while to figure out. Once I got that behind me, I went to work resolving all the lies that had been told about me, and that was a lot of work for a couple of years. I really was just 100% focused on that 24/7, so I really didn’t have time to come back [to Liberty] before now.
Jerry Falwell Jr. Can Now Enjoy ‘Finished Product’ at Liberty
In August, after his ban at Liberty was lifted, Falwell said, “I was too focused on clearing my name over the last few years to have much reason to go on campus.”
“Ever since 2020, students and local folks have been super supportive when I see them in town, and I’ve enjoyed incredible support from alumni all over the country by phone and email,” Falwell added.
