Baylor Lawsuit Contains Allegations of 52 Rapes by Football Players in 4 Years

A former Baylor University student filed a lawsuit against the school Friday for negligence and Title IX violations after she alleged two football players raped her in 2013, according to the Dallas Morning News' Sarah Mervosh. 

The lawsuit also alleges 31 football players committed 52 rapes—five of which were gang rapes—from 2011 to 2014.  

The plaintiff, who's listed as Elizabeth Doe in the filing, said former football players Tre'Von Armstead and Shamycheal Chatman raped her after a party on April 18, 2013, per Mervosh. 

Beyond the specific rape allegations levied against Armstead and Chatman, the suit alleges Baylor promoted a culture that "used sex to sell" the program to high school players who were considering committing to the university. 

On Saturday, Baylor president David Garland wrote a letter responding to the allegations:

Doe's lawsuit comes on the heels of an October report from the Wall Street Journal's Brad Reagan that shed light on negligence by former members of the football program. 

According to Reagan, members of the school's board of regents disclosed that former head coach Art Briles "knew about an alleged incident and didn't alert police, the school's judicial-affairs staff or the Title IX office in charge of coordinating the school's response to sexual violence."     

Furthermore, regents told Reagan 17 women "reported sexual or domestic assaults involving 19 players, including four alleged gang rapes," dating back to 2011. 

Bryan Fischer of CollegeFootballTalk provided more details from the lawsuit:

Baylor fired Briles following a comprehensive investigation and review of the school's Title IX procedures by law firm Pepper Hamilton LLP.         

As part of its official findings, Pepper Hamilton concluded there were "specific failings within both the football program and athletics department leadership, including a failure to identify and respond to a pattern of sexual violence by a football player and to a report of dating violence."