A Harvard student snuck a brutal hidden message about Jeffrey Epstein into his smack-talk piece published in Yale's student newspaper
- A Harvard student is leaning on the conspiracy theory surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death to troll Yale ahead of Saturday's rivalry game.
- Prior to Harvard's and Yale's gridiron grudge match each year, the student newspapers at the esteemed Ivy League institutions have a tradition of publishing a "dueling column" from their rival publication.
- This year, a staff writer for The Crimson and a senior at Harvard College wrote a piece titled "Yale Needs Harvard" that was published in the Yale Daily News.
- The first letter of each sentence in Palmer's 723-word column spell out "EPSTEIN DIDNT KILL HIMSELF, A YALE GRAD DID IT."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
This year, the suspicious death of wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spawned a popular conspiracy theory that he was murdered despite the official determination that he died by suicide while awaiting trial.
The conspiracy is so pervasive, in fact, that it has popped up everywhere from memes and Christmas sweaters to cable news interviews and Trump tweets. And now, more than three months after Epstein's death, a Harvard student is leaning on the conspiracy theory to troll Yale ahead of Saturday's rivalry game.
Prior to Harvard's and Yale's gridiron grudge match each year, the student newspapers at the esteemed Ivy League institutions - The Harvard Crimson and the Yale Daily News - have a tradition of publishing a "dueling column" from their rival publication.
This year, Cade Palmer - a staff writer for The Crimson and a senior at Harvard College - wrote a piece titled "Yale Needs Harvard" that was published in the Yale Daily News. Though it reads as straightforward smack talk upon first glace, a closer look reveals a second, much more subtle dig.
The first letter of each sentence in Palmer's 723-word hit piece spell out "EPSTEIN DIDNT KILL HIMSELF, A YALE GRAD DID IT."
Take a look for yourself:
Although Palmer did not specify which Yale graduate was responsible for Epstein's alleged murder, much of the conspiracy chatter surrounding the American financier pointed fingers at Bill and Hillary Clinton, who met at Yale while they were in law school. Even Donald Trump alluded to the unsubstantiated claim that the Clintons were involved in Epstein's death by retweeting a message that read "#JefferyEpstein had information on Bill Clinton & now he's dead."
For his part, Yale Daily News columnist Steven Rome wrote a piece slamming Harvard's arrogance that was published in The Crimson in advance of the game. It does not appear as though Rome's column contained any hidden messages.
The Bulldogs boast an impressive 8-1 record on the season and, with a win over Harvard Saturday, will clinch at least partial ownership of the Ivy League crown. Though the Crimson own a meager 4-5 record this year, they've won 10 of their last 12 meetings with their rivals.
- Read more:
- The University of Texas is giving its football stadium a face-lift, but people are saying the new 'Longhorn patio' looks like the female reproductive system
- Memphis is withholding top prospect James Wiseman from playing in a pivot from its original defiant, anti-NCAA stance
- No. 1 Kentucky paid Evansville $90,000 for a tune-up game and lost in one of college basketball's biggest upsets in recent memory
- Magic Johnson lauds LeBron James, says he's 'playing as well as I've ever seen him play'