Baylor made a decision to fire its head coach, Art Briles, after plenty of controversy has taken over the Bears football program.
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Soon after the decision was announced, the school released a presser detailing the reasons the school took the steps it did.
Included, was a shocking few paragraphs that detailed the football coaches and staff took steps to disclose the sexual assault or dating violence allegations, thus not allowing the University to take the proper steps. Because the coaches did this, it reportedly "discredited" complaints and denied the accusers a right to "a fair, impartial and informed investigation."
Related: Baylor reportedly didn't investigate sexual assault cases in a timely manner
Here's the entire section, via the report, per College Football Talk:
"Baylor failed to take appropriate action to respond to reports of sexual assault and dating violence reportedly committed by football players. The choices made by football staff and athletics leadership, in some instances, posed a risk to campus safety and the integrity of the University. In certain instances, including reports of a sexual assault by multiple football players, athletics and football personnel affirmatively chose not to report sexual violence and dating violence to an appropriate administrator outside of athletics. In those instances, football coaches or staff met directly with a complainant and/or a parent of a complainant and did not report the misconduct. As a result, no action was taken to support complainants, fairly and impartially evaluate the conduct under Title IX, address identified cultural concerns within the football program, or protect campus safety once aware of a potential pattern of sexual violence by multiple football players.
In addition, some football coaches and staff took improper steps in response to disclosures of sexual assault or dating violence that precluded the University from fulfilling its legal obligations. Football staff conducted their own untrained internal inquiries, outside of policy, which improperly discredited complainants and denied them the right to a fair, impartial and informed investigation, interim measures or processes promised under University policy. In some cases, internal steps gave the illusion of responsiveness to complainants but failed to provide a meaningful institutional response under Title IX. Further, because reports were not shared outside of athletics, the University missed critical opportunities to impose appropriate disciplinary action that would have removed offenders from campus and possibly precluded future acts of sexual violence against Baylor students. In some instances, the football program dismissed players for unspecified team violations and assisted them in transferring to other schools. As a result, some football coaches and staff abdicated responsibilities under Title IX and Clery; to student welfare; to the health and safety of complainants; and to Baylor's institutional values."
If this report is indeed true, it adds a horrifying layer to the Baylor investigation and truly questions why Briles wan't canned much earlier. It also poses the question how long Baylor knew about the alleged coverup.
We'll continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
