In a post by Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel, Florida inquired about taking Ukwuachu as a transfer, but head coach Will Muschamp backed away after hearing about the allegations of violence against the talented defensive lineman.
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Pearland High School coach Tony Heath told ESPN 1660 AM out of Central Texas that he “was told by the Boise State coaching staff and also shared that same information with Baylor’s assistant coaches” regarding Sam Ukwuachu’s dismissal from Boise State.
During the trial, Ukwuachu’s former girlfriend at Boise State testified that he had struck and choked her.
Briles insisted he was not told of Ukwuachu’s history of violence “beyond Sam being depressed, needing to come home”.
Sam Ukwuachu, who played defensive end for Boise State as a freshman in 2012 and transferred to Baylor after being dismissed from the Broncos, was sentenced last week to six months in jail and 10 years of probation for assaulting a Baylor women’s soccer player.
Petersen has since issued a statement refuting Briles’ claims and sat=ying he reached out to the Baylor coach to inform him of Ukwuachu’s background. On Friday, Art Briles, head coach at Baylor, denied he was aware of Ukwuachu’s history, saying there was “no mention” of any violent incidents in conversations he had with Boise State officials. “I was never told by Boise State he was violent toward females”, Heath said.
Because Heath has known Briles since his time as a high school in Stephenville, he was asked if he could be protecting a colleague and friend under fire.
Several people who attended the event Saturday night took to Twitter afterward to say that the second-year Trojans coach appeared to be drunk while using profanities in praising his team. “I was told Sam had run into Strike Three, but if he left they’d give him good recommendation; it wasn’t going to work out at Boise State“, Heath said. Ukwuachu grew up in Pearland, near Houston.
Even President & Chancellor Ken Starr admits, the Baylor community is “angry” after learning how one of their former football team members would be punished. He transferred in 2013 after being dismissed for unspecified reasons, but never played for Baylor.
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He transferred to Baylor but never played for the Bears. He sat out the 2013 season as required by NCAA rules and then was suspended from the team in 2014 after being accused of sexual assault.
