As Baylor University continues reviewing findings and facing backlash in regards to its handling of sexual violence allegations against its football players, it appears that the school has shown even more preferential treatment to its athletes in recent years.
ESPN’s Outside the Lines recently acquired documents that list even more allegations of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other violent acts involving its football players. These documents also detail that the players did not receive any disciplinary actions for their misconduct and that these incidents were known about by prominent Baylor officials and coaches. Such cases included the following:
In one case from 2011, an assault at an off-campus event in Waco ended with three football players being charged as well as Baylor and Waco police discussing the incident. Waco police, according to documents, took extraordinary steps to keep it from the public view “given the potential high-profile nature of the incident.” According to a police report obtained by Outside the Lines, Waco’s investigating officer asked a commander that “the case be pulled from the computer system so that only persons who had a reason to inquire about the report would be able to access it.” The report was placed in a locked office.
In another case, a sexual assault allegation against a former star player has remained in Waco police’s open-case status for four years, which, under Texas open records laws, effectively shields the case’s details from public view. The player and the alleged victim deny any assault took place, and in a separate criminal investigation, Waco police noted that officers had dealt with the woman as part of other allegations she had made against various people and concluded she was “deceptive.”
There have been a number of other cases since that have drawn Baylor to the spotlight in regards to its treatment of player misconduct:
In the April 2014 case, a woman told Waco police that Bears running back Devin Chafin grabbed her arm and slammed it against a car, in front of teammates and another witness. She provided photos of bruises on her arm to police. She told police that, weeks earlier, Chafin had grabbed her by the throat and slammed her against a wall, then threw her to the floor and kicked her, according to a police report.
In the police report, the officer wrote that the woman was uncertain about pressing charges, and no legal action was taken. Chafin played in nine of 13 games the following season, including the season opener.
Chafin, who was charged with marijuana possession in March and suspended by Briles immediately for spring practice and then reinstated to the team, could not be reached for comment.
There have been a number of other cases similar to these in which Baylor has been made aware of the allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence of its players, yet failed to adequately act on them. The football program has been under public scrutiny for months regarding its treatment of sexual assaults and domestic violence acts involving its athletes.
Here’s the statement issued to ESPN by Baylor.
“We are certain the actions that result from this deliberative process will yield improvements across a variety of areas that rebuild and reinforce confidence in our university. We are saddened when any student, including a student-athlete, acts in a manner inconsistent with Baylor’s mission or is a victim of such behavior.”
The university has hired Pepper Hamilton, a Philadelphia-based law firm, to aid in its past treatments of these cases. Baylor’s board of regents, who are reviewing Pepper Hamilton’s findings in regards to these allegations of player misconduct, declined to comment about the latest reports that have surfaced within the last two weeks or the incidents prior.
[ESPN]
