WACO—Baylor University and former Head Football Coach Art Briles mutually agreed to terminate their employment relationship after eight seasons and a sexual assault scandal that resulted in the university president’s demotion and the athletic director’s resignation and prompted federal lawsuits.
Briles and the university issued a joint statement June 24.
“Baylor University and Art Briles have mutually agreed to terminate their employment relationship, effective immediately,” the statement said. “Both parties acknowledge that there were serious shortcomings in the response to reports of sexual violence by some student-athletes, including deficiencies in university processes and the delegation of disciplinary responsibilities with the football program. Baylor is addressing these shortcomings and making ongoing improvements.”
The statement added: “Baylor wishes Coach Briles well in his future endeavors. Coach Briles expresses his thanks to the city of Waco and wishes the Baylor Bears success in the future.”
Time of transition
On May 26, Baylor’s board of regents announced Briles was “suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate according to contractual procedures.” At the same time, regents removed Ken Starr from his role as president and sanctioned Ian McCaw, who resigned as athletic director a few days later.
The university subsequently hired Jim Grobe—former coach at Wake Forest University, a private school in Winston-Salem, N.C., with Baptist roots—as acting football coach. Grobe served from 2006 to 2013 as chair of the ethics committee for the American Football Coaches Association.
Although multiple news sources reported a few high-profile donors pressured the regents to consider reinstating Briles after a one-year suspension, the board of regents did not vote on Briles’ employment at their June 13 meeting.
Lawsuits filed
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Two former Baylor Bears football players—Sam Ukwuachu and Tevin Elliott—were convicted of sexual assault, and some other student-athletes have been accused of sexual violence.
In March, a former Baylor student who reported Elliott raped her filed a lawsuit asserting multiple Title IX violations and negligence. The suit names Baylor’s board of regents, Briles and McCaw as defendants.
In mid-June, three women filed suit against Baylor, alleging they were sexually assaulted on or near campus. One of the women asserted the person who assaulted her was a Baylor Bears football player. Three additional women later joined that suit.
A few days later, another former student filed a separate lawsuit, which did not involve anyone associated with Baylor’s football team. The suit asserted sexual assault issues at Baylor were “not an ‘athletic department issue,’ but were an institution-wide problem that Baylor and Baylor regents failed to properly address.”
Baylor response to Pepper Hamilton report
Last September, Baylor’s board of regents hired Pepper Hamilton, a Philadelphia law firm, to investigate the university’s response to reports of sexual violence.
Regents received a “comprehensive briefing” from Pepper Hamilton. The firm’s investigation revealed a “fundamental failure” by Baylor to implement Title IX and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, according to a 13-page “Findings of Fact” document the regents released.
Baylor regents also released a 10-page set of recommendations from Pepper Hamilton.
The university already has implemented some of the recommendations, and it will implement them all, Interim President David Garland said.
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