Baylor University sexual assault scandal

Former Baylor head football coach Art Briles in 2014

The Baylor University sexual assault scandal was the result of numerous allegations of and convictions for sexual and non-sexual assaults committed by Baylor University students, mostly players on the Baylor Bears football team. During a period from about 2012 to 2016, school officials suppressed reports of rapes and sexual misconduct.[1] In 2016, Baylor's football team came under fire when it was revealed university officials had failed to take action regarding the alleged rapes and assaults. The scandal led to the ousting of head football coach Art Briles, the demotion and eventual resignation of Baylor president Ken Starr, the resignation of athletic director Ian McCaw, and the firing of two others connected with the football program.[2] It also led to the resignation of Baylor's Title IX Coordinator, Patty Crawford. A plaintiff's attorney, Jim Dunnam, accused Baylor of implementing a ″concerted strategy to get the public to believe this is entirely and only a football-related problem."[3]

Tevin Elliot, a former Baylor linebacker, was sentenced on January 23, 2014, to twenty years in prison and fined US$10,000 for each of his two sexual assaults committed against a Baylor student in 2012. Sam Ukwuachu, a defensive end, was indicted on June 25, 2014, on two counts of sexual assault against a Baylor student-athlete and was found guilty by a Texas court on August 21, 2015. That conviction was later overturned, granting Ukwuachu a new trial, but was reinstated in 2018 and again reversed in July 2019. Jacob Anderson, 20-year-old Phi Delta Theta president, was charged with sexual assault on March 3, 2016, following a fraternity party.[4] Anderson pleaded no contest to a charge of unlawful restraint as part of a deal which included mandatory counseling, a $400 fine, and three years of probation.[5] Shawn Oakman, a former All-American defensive end, was arrested on April 13, 2016, on charges of sexual assault against a female student.[6] In February 2019, Oakman was found not guilty of the charges against him.

  1. ^ Blinder, Alan (August 12, 2021). "N.C.A.A. Will Not Punish Baylor for Sexual Assault Scandal". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Report: Woman says she was raped by current Baylor player". UPI.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  3. ^ Czarnecki, Sean (August 22, 2018). "Sources: Baylor used 'mole' to aid comms during sexual assault crisis". PR Week. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  4. ^ Hoppa, Kristin (March 3, 2016). "Baylor fraternity president charged with sexual assault". WacoTrib.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  5. ^ Wilson, Lea; Caldwell, Jasmin (December 11, 2018). "Former Baylor fraternity president gets no prison time in plea deal on rape charges". USA Today. Waco-Temple-College Station, Texas. KCEN-TV. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "Woman who led Baylor sex assault investigation speaks out after resigning". CBS. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.