Baylor In Crisis Over Sexual Assault Scandal — Here's What's Going On
After months of controversy surrounding alleged and confirmed sexual assaults carried out by Baylor University football players, Baylor head football coach Art Briles has been fired and Baylor President Ken Starr has been demoted to Chancellor. Here's what you need to know.
An Investigation Into The Handling Of Alleged Assaults Found 'Fundamental Failure' Among Baylor Leadership
An independent investigation into the handling of alleged assault committed by Baylor football players led to today's decision to demote and fire key Baylor University leadership.
Kenneth Starr […] was demoted on Thursday by Baylor University, where he had served as president and chancellor, after an investigation found "fundamental failure" by the university in its handling of accusations of sexual assault against football players. The university also fired Art Briles, the successful coach of the football team for the past eight seasons[.] Starr was stripped of his title as university president but will remain Baylor's chancellor. Baylor's athletic director, Ian McCaw, was sanctioned and placed on probation.
Today, The School Summarized Its Findings, Apologized And Announced Disciplinary Action In A Press Release
In a press release posted on the Baylor website, the chair of Baylor's Board apologized while also summarizing the investigation's disturbing findings and the university's actions.
We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus. This investigation revealed the University's mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students […] The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us. Our students and their families deserve more, and we have committed our full attention to improving our processes, establishing accountability and ensuring appropriate actions are taken to support former, current and future students.
Scrutiny Of Baylor's Football Program And Handling Of Assault Came After A Damning Report On Player Sam Ukwuachu
In 2015, Texas Monthly reported on the disturbing story of a pending sexual assault case against player Sam Ukwuachu, who transferred to Baylor after being kicked out elsewhere for misconduct — and then quickly accused (and later convicted) of rape in Waco by another student athlete. The report documented the school's willful ignorance of previous accusations, obfuscation of the facts, continued support of a likely sexual predator, and administrative burden placed on a victim of sexual assault.
The night at his apartment, she testified, "I was screaming stop and no." According to her testimony, after he finished, he told her "This isn't rape," asked her if she was going to call the police, and left her to find a ride. Two of Doe's friends arrived in the middle of the night to pick her up, at which point she told them that Ukwuachu had raped her. The next day, Doe went to the hospital and was subject to a sexual assault nurse examination, which found vaginal injuries including redness, bleeding, and friction injuries.
Criticism Of Baylor's Administration Heightened After Testimony And Documents Implied That Baylor Football Knew The Extent Of Ukwuachu's Violent Past
While Baylor claimed that it didn't know the extent of Ukwuachu's previous behavioral and criminal history, Boise State's coach says otherwise — pointing to public record, a conversation with Baylor's coach, and Ukwuachu's rejection from other teams.
Boise State's then-head coach, Chris Petersen, insists he called Baylor coach Art Briles and "thoroughly apprised" him of those circumstances […] It matters what Briles knew and when he knew it. It matters that the coach of a prestigious college football program took on a player deemed untouchable by at least two other big-time teams. It matters that a university with a history of not taking sexual assault seriously opened its campus to a man with a history of violence against women.
One Year Before, A Baylor Player Was Sentenced To 20 Years For Assaulting A Student, But The School Proved To Be Unhelpful
A disturbing pattern emerged after looking at Baylor's history with assault victims, with one student assaulted by a player only a year earlier claiming that Baylor failed to help her.
The victim and her mother both said the trauma of the experience and Elliott driving by her South Russell dorm after her attack caused her to do poorly in school. She lost her scholarship and left school for a period of time. Her mother said Baylor faculty was not helpful in guiding her daughter during this academically stressful time.
Further Investigation Revealed A Long History Of Hidden Accusations
In one case from 2011, an assault at an off-campus event in Waco ended with three football players being charged and Baylor and Waco police discussing the incident. Waco police, according to documents, took extraordinary steps to keep it from the public view "given the potential high-profile nature of the incident." According to a police report obtained by Outside the Lines, Waco's investigating officer asked a commander that "the case be pulled from the computer system so that only persons who had a reason to inquire about the report would be able to access it." The report was placed in a locked office.
[ESPN]
After Ukwuachu's Conviction And More Accusations, Baylor Hired Independent Investigators
In September 2015, Baylor's board of regents hired attorneys Gina Smith and Leslie Gomez of Philadelphia-based Pepper Hamilton LLP to investigate how the university handled an allegation of sexual assault in 2013 against former Baylor football player Sam Ukwuachu. It remains unclear whether results from the review will be released publicly.
After Months Of Investigation And Review, The Investigators Found Gross Misconduct
Disturbing findings detailed in the report include but are not limited to:
Members of the Baylor football staff repeatedly and actively refused to report sexual assault allegations to the proper administrators, and what investigations did happen … In some instances, football staff members met directly with accusers or parents of the accusers, and still did not report the allegations … University administrators directly discouraged complainants from reporting or participating in the student conduct process…The football team operated its own internal system of discipline, which largely served to keep football players insulated from the appropriate disciplinary consequences.
[Deadspin]
