Purdue defensive back, Tahj Ra-El, has been accused of leaking their playbook to the opposing quarterback, Owen McCown while at Memphis. Can you imagine the chaos that must have caused in the locker room?
I mean, leaking a playbook is like the ultimate betrayal in football. It’s like giving away all your secrets to the enemy! And to think it was an inside job…just adds a whole new level of scandal to the mix.
A report from On3 alleges that current Purdue defensive back Tahj Ra-El leaked his playbook to an opposing quarterback shortly after his time at Memphis. The outlet obtained an image of the messages sent between Ra-El and UTSA quarterback Owen McCown, which appear to indicate the former Memphis safety sharing the defensive schemes.
The alleged incident happened prior to Memphis’ game against UTSA on Nov. 2. Ra-El left the team in October, though TigerSportsReport is reporting that he may have been dismissed from the squad.
UTSA defeated Memphis 44-36.
In a statement provided to GoldandBlack.com’s Tom Dienhart, a Purdue official said, “Our coaching staff sees the scenario as being mischaracterized and does not have any concerns moving forward.”
The messages from Ra-El to McCown also appear to show him pointing out one of the weaker links in the Memphis secondary prior to the contest. Ra-El has not commented on the situation.
Ra-El transferred to Purdue during the winter transfer portal period. He spent his first three seasons at Old Dominion before transferring to Memphis for the 2024 campaign. He appeared in just four games for the Tigers last season, maintaining his redshirt year. He tallied 13 tackles and an interception.
Who knows what really happened behind the scenes, but one thing’s for sure – tensions are high at Purdue right now.
Flip to the next page for the leaked messages…
