Art Briles Denies Knowing of Sam Ukwuachu's Past, Baylor Holds Internal Inquiry
Baylor Bears head football coach Art Briles has denied having any knowledge of the circumstances regarding the transfer of former defensive end Sam Ukwuachu from Boise State.
According to Briles, then-Broncos head coach Chris Petersen never mentioned the allegations of past violence. Briles also had a discussion with Ukwuachu's high school coach, who spoke of Ukwuachu in glowing terms.
ESPN.com's Jake Trotter provided Briles' full statement:
Baylor released a copy of Ukwuachu's official transfer request, which seems to show Ukwuachu wasn't dismissed for disciplinary reasons (via Trotter):
The school also announced Friday it will launch an internal investigation into the details surrounding its inquest into the sexual-assault allegations leveled against former defensive end Sam Ukwuachu.
Shehan Jeyarajah of the Dallas Morning News provided the school's official statement:
Baylor President Ken Starr posted a letter, which included Baylor's stance on sexual violence:
"Acts of sexual violence contradict every value Baylor University upholds as a caring Christian community. In recent years we have joined university efforts nationally to prevent campus violence against women and sexual assault, to actively support survivors of sexual assault with compassion and care, and to take action against perpetrators.
We have established and fully staffed a Title IX office that employs a Title IX Coordinator and two full-time investigators. Maintaining a safe and caring community is central to Baylor’s mission and at the heart of our commitment to our students, faculty and staff.
"
On Sept. 3, Jeyarajah provided a statement from Starr as well:
A judge in McLennan County, Texas, sentenced Ukwuachu to 180 days in county jail and 400 hours of community service Friday after he was found guilty of second-degree sexual assault, per Tommy Witherspoon of the Waco Tribune. Ukwuachu will also remain on felony probation for 10 years.
Writing for Texas Monthly, Jessica Luther and Dan Solomon first broke that Ukwuachu had been indicted for sexual assault on June 25, 2014, a fact which had gone unreported for over a year. Luther and Solomon detailed the circumstances of the case and the potential shortcomings in Baylor's investigation of the claims.
Based on Tommy Witherspoon's Waco Tribune report, as well as Luther and Solomon's Texas Monthly report, Deadspin's Diana Moskovitz wrote about the aspects of the case Bethany McCraw, Baylor's associate dean for student-conduct administration, overlooked. McCraw failed to obtain the results from the victim-in-question's sexual-assault exam, and she never spoke with a university psychologist who diagnosed the victim with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Another critical question asked of both McCraw and Briles is whether they knew the facts regarding Ukwuachu's transfer from Boise State.
Friday morning, Briles told reporters he was unaware of any significant issues Ukwuachu had before his departure.
"No mention of anything beyond Sam being depressed and needing to come home," he said, per ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach and Max Olson. "So that was our information. And that's what you go by."
Petersen then released a statement in which he claimed to have called Briles and "thoroughly apprised (him) of the circumstances surrounding Sam's disciplinary record and dismissal."
