FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Running back Breece Hall is among four Jets starters on offense who were ruled out Friday to play in New York's game Sunday at Chicago.
Coach Aaron Glenn said Hall, dealing with a quadriceps injury, will miss the game, along with wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger), tight end Mason Taylor (thumb) and left guard Dylan Parham (knee). Linebacker Kiko Mauigoa will also be out with a quadriceps injury.
The injuries leave the Jets (1-2) a bit short-handed on an offense that will likely need to keep pace against the Bears (2-1), who rank third in the NFL in total yards, first in rushing and fifth in points per game. Chicago hasn't announced whether Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum will start at quarterback.
New York is 13th in total yards and Geno Smith is off to a solid start with four touchdown passes, no interceptions and an NFL-leading 75.5% completion rate, the highest by a Jets quarterback through Week 3 in franchise history with a minimum of three starts.
Hall and Parham were injured in the Jets' loss last Sunday at Detroit, while Mitchell and Taylor will sit out for the second game in a row.
Glenn said Hall, the Jets’ leading rusher, would be “week to week” after he was hurt early in the fourth quarter when he went down while being forced out of bounds after running for no gain.
Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis are expected to assume the bulk of Hall's carries out of the backfield. Kene Nwangwu, who's also one of the team's primary kick returners, is on track to make his season debut after missing the first three games with a back ailment.
Mitchell had his hand wrapped late last week after he hurt a finger during practice and was scratched from the game at Detroit. He has been serving as the Jets' No. 2 wide receiver behind Garrett Wilson and has nine catches for 123 yards.
With rookie Omar Cooper Jr. and veteran Tim Patrick on injured reserve, the Jets added Malik McClain and Jamaal Pritchett to the active roster last week and signed vets Sterling Shepard and Tyler Johnson to the practice squad. Shepard was elevated to the active roster last week and had a 3-yard reception and caught a 2-point conversion pass.
Taylor's injury leaves the Jets without another pass catcher, but they also have rookie Kenyon Sadiq, Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods and Andrew Beck at the tight end spot. Sadiq (back) and Ruckert (knee) were limited at practice Wednesday and Thursday, but Glenn didn't appear concerned about their availability for the game.
Parham is expected to be replaced at left guard by Jordan Meredith, who came in for him last week when he went down in the third quarter. The Jets also signed Kohl Levao from the practice squad.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is expected to play after injuring his groin in the season opener. He was a full participant in practice Thursday for the first time since his injury.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
New York Jets running back Braelon Allen (0) celebrates with teammate Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) during an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Jets' Dylan Parham is injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
New York Jets' Breece Hall is injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
NEW YORK (AP) — The woman who accused members of a Cornell University fraternity of gang rape was “failed” by people obligated to protect her, including campus police and the county prosecutor, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.
Hochul said at a news conference that she decided to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as a special prosecutor to take over the investigation after learning “troubling details” about how authorities have handled the woman’s claims thus far, including that the district attorney closed the case without having anyone interview the accuser or anyone else involved in the alleged attack.
“In what world does the district attorney not even interview her, or anyone else involved, or even request the full transcript?” Hochul said. “This woman, this young woman, had already endured something that is utterly unspeakable. And then at every turn, she was failed by people and institutions with an obligation to protect her.”
She also assailed the Cornell University Police Department for not fully conveying the woman’s story to prosecutors.
“After this young woman came forward, she spoke to the police. She sat for hours and told them exactly what happened to her. And according to new reports, she could not have been clearer that she was 100% confident that she had been raped," the Democratic governor said. "Yet, shockingly, those words never made it into the account that the Cornell police sent to prosecutors.”
Hochul said Thursday that she appointed James to oversee the case because she had lost faith in the local district attorney’s ability to handle it.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who was removed from the case, said Friday that he supports James’ appointment.
“I trust that she will examine the facts and apply the law," Van Houten said in a statement. ”It has become clear that we were not provided the full picture by the University. The focus has been and should continue to be on the victims.”
James didn't say how long her investigation might take, but suggested it would take months.
“We will review the facts, gather evidence, interview witnesses and, if warranted, pursue prosecutions,” James said. “I know that you want answers. I do too. A comprehensive investigation of this nature takes time, but my office is committed to seeing it through.”
The investigation initially was closed without charges in 2024. Van Houten reopened the investigation on Monday after the woman filed a new lawsuit against seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity, as well as Cornell and others.
Van Houten has defended his decision not to prosecute, maintaining that a sworn statement by the woman prepared by police didn’t include the woman's allegations that she was drugged against her will, incapacitated beyond the ability to consent and forced into sex.
The case has roiled the Ivy League school and raised questions about its response and the larger issue of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses.
The woman, identified only as Jane Doe in court documents, told campus police in November of 2024 that she was sexually assaulted, then discussed it with the university’s internal investigators as part of Cornell’s disciplinary process.
Her lawsuit alleges that she was plied with drugs and alcohol, then subjected to sexual acts by a group of men while she was partially or entirely incapacitated. One of the men sent a social media message to other fraternity members alerting them to what was happening and inviting people to take part, according to the lawsuit.
Lawyers for two of the men she is suing have denied they participated in a sexual assault. One said his client didn't touch the woman. Attempts to reach the other men or their representatives for comment have been unsuccessful.
Hochul also threw her support behind proposals to change an element of New York law that has long made it more difficult to prosecute people who have engaged in sex with someone who voluntarily became intoxicated to the point where their ability to consent was compromised.
Under the law, rape charges generally need to involve force or a clear refusal of sex, unless the victim is physically helpless due to being unconscious, or mentally incapacitated due to being drugged without their consent. New York is one of 19 states with such laws.
“If someone is too intoxicated to consent, it should not matter whether they chose to use drugs or alcohol. Voluntary intoxication is not a license for sexual assault or gang rape, period,” the governor said.
New York governors have turned to attorneys general to oversee important cases in the past.
In 2018, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo appointed then-Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas as a special prosecutor to investigate Eric Schneiderman, who resigned as New York attorney general after women accused him of violent slapping, choking and other abuse.
In 2021, James oversaw a non-criminal investigation into sexual harassment allegations against then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading to his resignation. Cuomo initially tried to choose who would lead the investigation into the allegations. He then allowed James to choose two independent attorneys to lead it instead.
James’ office also handles other criminal work and has the power under state law to investigate every death involving law enforcement in the state. But, typically, she can’t initiate criminal investigations without a referral from a local district attorney, the governor or a state agency, or an appointment like the one Hochul made Thursday.
This story was updated to correct the spelling of Letitia James' name.
New York Attorney General Letitia James attends a news conference with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a news conference with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, left, listens as Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference in New York, Oct. 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Shown is the the Chi Phi fraternity house at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
