The release also noted school president Ken Starr was no longer going to be serving in that capacity. Baylor University’s board of regents says it will fire football coach Art Briles a.
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Baylor booster Mike Holman, 61, said he is very disappointed in Briles but added that the regents made the right choice.
The university’s statement said the review revealed “a fundamental failure”.
May 18: “Outside The Lines” reports that an examination of Waco police records over a five-year period found more allegations of violent incidents involving Baylor football players who were not charged, appeared to face little or no discipline from the team even though coaches and administrators knew about the allegations, and that some documents were shielded from public view.
In the end, Baylor regents must have rightly felt that the soul of the university itself was being compromised.
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File).
“The university has made contact with the NCAA to initially discuss potential infractions and offer full cooperation”, Willis said in a news teleconference.
Subsequent news reports have found several other accusations of sexual assault by Baylor athletes, including one against two players that Baylor did not investigate for more than two years.
But that may not end the scrutiny.
The Hamilton law firm’s report stated that they “found examples of actions by university administrators that directly discouraged complainants from reporting or participating in student conduct processes, or that contributed or accommodated a hostile environment”. “We had unfettered access to Baylor faculty, staff and administration”.
“The football program and athletics department leadership failed to take appropriate action in response to these reports”, the review read.
“Coach Briles has certainly had a remarkable career at Baylor”, Bowlsby said.
“The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us”. In one instance, those actions constituted retaliation against a complainant for reporting sexual assault.
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Education, which enforces anti-gender discrimination regulations at universities, said Baylor had taken steps to satisfy federal requirements. The university has hired a NY law firm to contact the NCAA about possible rule violations. He did not elaborate.
Critics have claimed that Baylor sacrificed moral considerations – and the safety of other students – for the sake of its winning football team. In those cases, football coaches or staff met directly with the alleged victims and then did not report the misconduct. “I pray that the leadership follows through on the recommendations given in the report and that Baylor Nation can stand in solidarity with the many fearless survivors who have shared their stories, regardless of the cost”, she wrote.
Starr, best known for investigating President Bill Clinton’s affair with a White House intern, has led Baylor as president since June 2010.
Willis said Ken Starr, who was removed from the presidency, will remain as chancellor, which he said is a role focused on external development and religious liberty.
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In a statement, Starr apologized to “those victims who were not treated with the care, concern, and support they deserve”. Starr initiated the Pepper Hamilton report that ultimately forced him out. After Ukwuachu was convicted previous year, Starr sent out a press release that, while lamenting the woman’s suffering, declared that “By God’s grace, we are living in a golden era at Baylor University”.
