Former Baylor University president and chancellor Ken Starr sat down for an interview with the Texas Tribune Saturday morning, and it seems Starr learned nothing from his forced resignation earlier this year following an investigation into the school’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations.
Starr is no stranger to tone-deaf interviews, and Saturday’s talk about the Baylor sexual assault scandal was no different.
Starr most notably admonished the firing of former Head Coach Art Briles, the man whose coaching staff allegedly covered-up sexual assault claims against Baylor football players.
Starr: "Briles has devoted his life to molding the lives of young men. ESPN [has] done Coach Briles as grave and serious injustice."
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) September 24, 2016
Kenn Starr says Art Briles got a raw deal. "I have great confidence to this day in Coach Briles. I believe he’s an honorable person."
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomon35) September 24, 2016
The Briles apology tour is already underway. It began with a sit-down interview with ESPN on Sept. 7, and now Starr is publicly throwing his support behind Briles’ redemption campaign. Of course, Starr did not help his coach by shouldering more of the blame for the school’s failings, quite the opposite really. According to Starr, the Baylor administration was not at fault.
Starr says he doesn't know anything about this. He says he doesn't know anything a lot. "I'm learning things." https://t.co/8gHuxcyFml
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomon35) September 24, 2016
https://twitter.com/scATX/status/779700438111092736
https://twitter.com/scATX/status/779701912413216768
Starr says there needs to be better bystander intervention on college campuses to prevent sexual assault. #TTF
— Brittany Shulman (@brittanyshulman) September 24, 2016
Starr continued to reference the fact that the incidents at the heart of scandal occurred off Baylor’s campus, which to Starr lessens the school’s responsibility. It would not truly be a tone-deaf interview without a little victim blaming thrown in for good measure.
https://twitter.com/scATX/status/779696917705916416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Starr says cases of assault involved off-campus drinking. "My encouragement to students is, don't go to these off campus parties." #TTF
— Madlin Mekelburg (@madlinbmek) September 24, 2016
And just for good measure, Starr continued to assert his disagreement with the findings of Pepper Hamilton’s independent report on Baylor’s institutional failings.
He hired them https://t.co/g2kDybjDXr
— Mark Schlabach (@Mark_Schlabach) September 24, 2016
Starr’s failure to grasp reality is not surprising but still disheartening. A man that was once in charge of a major American university still fails to recognize just how badly Baylor’s female students were failed by the school, even after being confronted with a mountain of evidence.
A man whose daughters went to Baylor asks Starr who's responsible if Starr doesn't know and Briles is honorable. No real answer by Starr.
— Jon Solomon (@JonSolomon35) September 24, 2016
Starr’s non-answer to the question is really the only the answer you need.