Baylor President Releases Statement on Art Briles' Handling of Sam Ukwuachu

Baylor University president Ken Starr released a statement in support of the Bears' head football coach, Art Briles, whom Starr maintains was unaware of Sam Ukwuachu's previous history of violence prior to his arrival in Waco, Texas.

Briles and former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen have engaged in a public back-and-forth about who knew what and when regarding the circumstances of Ukwuachu's transfer from Boise State. On Friday, Starr wrote a firm defense of Briles:    

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At no time did any Boise State official ever disclose any record of physical violence toward women. A variety of news sources ultimately corroborated the accuracy of Coach Briles’ account. In addition, in recent days, Coach Briles has made it absolutely clear that he is fully supportive of the independent investigation which will – among other things – ensure the thoroughness of the transfer admission of student-athletes, as well as of policies and procedures designed to safeguard the character and well-being of our entire student body.

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"I know and respect Coach Petersen and he would never recommend a student-athlete to Baylor that he didn't believe in," said Briles in his statement about the situation back in August, per USA Today's George Schroeder. "In our discussion, he did not disclose that there had been violence toward women, but he did tell me of a rocky relationship with his girlfriend which contributed to his depression."

A McLennan County judge sentenced Ukwuachu to 180 days in jail and 10 years for probation after the former Bears player was found guilty of sexual assault.

The ongoing investigation of the sexual assault charges had largely gone unnoticed in the public eye until a report from Jessica Luther and Dan Solomon in Texas Monthly. That report also called into question the veracity of Baylor's own investigation into the claims.

According to Tommy Witherspoon of the Waco Tribune, Bethany McCraw, Baylor’s associate dean for student conduct administration, testified that "a preponderance of the evidence" essentially cleared Ukwuachu during the internal investigation.

The school has since enlisted the services of a Philadelphia law firm to examine how the school handles sexual assault allegations on campus, per Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News.