WACO, TX – DECEMBER 1: Quinn Sharp #13 of the Oklahoma State University Cowboys makes a field goal against the Baylor University Bears on December 1, 2012 at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Baylor University will not release the full report by law firm Pepper Hamilton on how the school handled sexual assault allegations which led to the firing of university president Ken Starr and football head coach Art Briles.

Interim president David Garland wrote in a statement on Friday that while the report didn’t “hold back in their assessment,” the full findings of the report will not be released publicly.

“Pepper Hamilton, our external investigators, had the freedom to follow the facts where they led and to determine those facts without any interference by University administration or the Board. Pepper Hamilton’s report was impartial and objective, and they did not hold back in their assessment. This firm was selected by our Board of Regents for its credibility and expertise in investigations of sexual violence. We fully trust the validity of its investigation. They had access to all requested documents and any Baylor employee they requested to interview. They independently reached out to and heard from brave survivors who assisted the investigation by sharing their experiences. We respect survivors’ freedom to choose whether, when and how to share their experiences and will support survivors who choose to share their experiences publicly. The details of these individuals’ experiences will not be discussed publicly by the University. We hurt for these students and deeply appreciate their willingness to speak with Pepper Hamilton as part of this review. Their insights and participation will help us better address these issues in the future.”

The main problem is that a physical report doesn’t actually exist. According to Garland, Pepper Hamilton delivered the report in an oral presentation “that fully and comprehensively presented the individual and aggregated findings and the evidence supporting the findings.”

While it’s good to see Baylor believes a fair assessment was made by the law firm regarding the sexual assault allegations, it’s also hard to gauge exactly what the investigation found or recommends considering the university’s refusal to be transparent, claimed to be done for the sake of the victims’ privacy.

The Baylor Alumni Association released a statement saying it was important to release the findings as “The Baylor Family deserves an unvarnished, complete accounting of the facts about how these events were handled.” That seems fair, but the university likely doesn’t want more scandal on its hands. It’s not the best move to pass on releasing the findings, but perhaps what’s in the report would make the situation much worse for the university.

The situation is messy and only looks worse for Baylor in that even after all that’s transpired, the instituion still won’t be 100 percent honest with the public about what happened.

[Sports Illustrated]

About Liam McGuire

Social +Staff writer for The Comeback & Awful Announcing. Liammcguirejournalism@gmail.com