Lawsuit: Baylor football players recorded rapes, staged dog fights

AUSTIN, Texas — A new federal lawsuit against Baylor University alleges football players routinely recorded gang rapes and staged dog fights during hazing parties in a program that fostered sexual violence.

A former Baylor volleyball player, identified as Jane Doe in the lawsuit, alleges she was raped by four or more players after being taken from a party where she may have been drugged in 2012. Her lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges the players later burglarized her apartment and harassed her and her family until she left school the next year.

The woman said she didn’t tell police about the sex assaults because she believed police would protect the football players, her lawyer told The Associated Press on Wednesday. She told police about football players breaking into her apartment — and police responded by getting her items back, without filing charges, according to the lawsuit.

More than a dozen women have now sued Baylor, alleging officials mishandled or ignored sex assault allegations for years. The school is also facing several federal civil rights investigations and a state criminal investigation.

The latest lawsuit alleges Baylor football players had freshmen players bring girls to parties where they would be drugged and gang raped. The attacks were often recorded so video and photos could be shared by players, according to the lawsuit.

“The gang rapes were considered a ‘bonding’ experience for the football players,” the lawsuit states.

Football parties also routinely staged dog fighting, the lawsuit alleged.