Briles believes he was wrongfully terminated and claims he will not settle a federal lawsuit filed against him by a woman who was raped by one of his football players.
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Jasmin Hernandez says former football player Tevin Elliott raped her, and is suing Baylor and Briles in federal court for enabling the player.
KWTX doesn’t identify sexual assault victims, but Hernandez has spoken publicly about the case. The lawsuit claims Baylor knew Elliott had a history of assaults and failed to protect her and other students from him.
One day after Art Briles lashed out at Baylor for what he determined was a wrongful termination that made him out to be the scapegoat, the two parties have agreed to a contract settlement.
Briles went 65-37 in eight seasons at the school before being removed as coach in the wake of a report on the football program’s handling of sexual assaults by the law firm Pepper Hamilton.
The steps the school plans to take include adding three staff positions to the Title IX office, allocating more resources and staff to its counselling center, and broadening its “It’s On Us” campaign, which endeavors to educate students, faculty and staff on how to report incidents of sexual violence. Starr, however, remains employed through the university’s law school.
Both ESPN and USA Today reported the motion Briles filed against Baylor on Thursday had been withdrawn.
Former Houston Astros owner and Baylor alumni Drayton McLane, whose name is on the $250 million on-campus stadium that opened two years ago in Waco, said Wednesday he had no knowledge that the board was seriously considering allowing Briles to coach the Bears again. Shan Wu, a former prosecutor with the Department of Justice and current college student defense attorney “Because Baylor is a private institution, a non-Title IX lawsuit against the university would typically need to rely upon a breach of contract theory”. “That’s some infighting between them. We’ll let them figure out who is representing who”.
“Coach Briles provided (the attorneys) with extensive personal information related to this case and other matters during the interview”, the motion says.
Earlier this week, Baylor interim president David Garland told Dallas’ WFAA-TV (via ESPN.com) that a contingent of people were hoping to get Briles back on the sidelines in 2017: “A lot of fans love what the coach did on the football field, and you can understand that”.
The motion includes a letter sent by Briles’ attorney to Baylor attorneys on Thursday. This litigation could prove costly, as Briles’ isn’t looking for a settlement.
Baylor and Briles could also face NCAA discipline for some of the actions outlined in the Pepper Hamilton report, though is career is already likely crippled.
In 2014, Briles earned almost $6 million in total compensation.
Briles was the only coach who was sacked.
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“That’s not something I’m involved with”, Cannon said. “That’s not something we’re going to discuss right now – any matters with the contract”.
