Ex Baylor coach says he didn’t cover up sexual assaults

AUSTIN, TEXAS » Breaking months of public silence, former Baylor coach Art Briles said Thursday he could no longer “remain silent” and insisted he did not cover up sexual violence by his players or try to obstruct any investigations tied to the assault scandal at the nation’s largest Baptist university.

Briles released a onepage letter defending himself against allegations that he ignored incidents of assault and ran a rogue football program full of miscreants. The letter was issued one day after the Texas Rangers, the state’s elite criminal investigations unit, said it had opened a preliminary probe into how Baylor handled assault reports over several years.

“I did not cover-up any sexual violence. I had no contact with anyone that claimed to be a victim of sexual or domestic assault. Anyone well-versed in my work as a coach knows that I strove to promote excellence, but never at the sacrifice of safety for anyone,” Briles wrote . “I did not obstruct justice on campus or off.” When alerted to an assault incident, Briles said, his response was that victims should go to the police so it could be prosecuted.

Baylor officials declined comment. Baylor faces several federal lawsuits from women who say Baylor mishandled, ignored or suppressed their claims of assault for years, including several cases involving football players. Briles is named as a defendant in at least one of those. The school also faces a federal civil rights investigation. Baylor fired Briles in May 2016 and demoted former President Ken Starr, who later resigned, after an outside law firm determined the school had mishandled cases for years. The Pepper Hamilton firm determined Briles’ program acted as if it was “above the rules” and that unnamed members of Briles’ staff had improper contact with victims or witnesses and may have interfered with investigations.

Baylor officials say that investigation found at least 17 women who reported being sexually assaulted by 19 football players, but one lawsuit claiming Baylor fostered a “culture of sexual violence” puts the number at more than 50 acts of rape over a four-year period.