Northam, facing mounting calls to resign since the photo was posted online Friday by the conservative website Big League Politics, initially apologized for appearing in the picture. He backtracked Saturday, acknowledging he submitted the other photos on his page but saying he felt confident he had not posed for the picture. He said he’d seen the photo for the first time Friday and suggested that there could have been a mix-up with another student’s photos.

“I recognize that many people will find this difficult to believe. The photo appears with others I submitted on a page with my name on it,” said Northam, who twice ran successful campaigns for statewide office without the photo becoming public.

“I have also had a classmate who I discussed this with this morning. We talked about this situation. And I said, ‘Is there a possibility, you think, that someone could have put a photo on the wrong page?’ She said it happened on numerous pages in this very yearbook.”

Elwood said he never heard of anyone having a photo misplaced. The 30-year Navy veteran, who has retired from practicing medicine, said he hasn’t spoken to any former classmates since the scandal erupted Friday afternoon.

He was older than Northam when they were enrolled at EVMS and doesn’t remember him as a student.