In 2006, Rhoades recommended to the Vatican that William Presley, a priest in the diocese, be laicized. Presley had faced allegations of sexual abuse in the 1970's when he was assigned to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. In his letter, Rhoades termed Presley as a "sexual predator" and a danger to the Catholic community.
In 2006, Rhoades proposed that William Presley, a priest in the diocese, be removed from the priesthood due to allegations of sexual abuse at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana. Rhoades characterized Presley as a "sexual offender" and a threat to the Catholic community.