Interim Baylor head vows commitment to the truth
Interim Baylor President David Garland and the university’s board of regents are “fully committed to presenting the truth” in the wake of an outside investigation that found Baylor coaches and administrators covered up allegations of sexual assault by students, the interim leader wrote in a letter to faculty, staff, students and others.
That will not include releasing the full report by the Pepper Hamilton law firm — for which many, including a Baylor alumni group, have called. Baylor officials released a 13-page summary of the report last month.
The summary was damning. Football coaches and other athletic department officials knew about allegations of sexual assaults on campus by multiple football players and chose not to report them, it said. Baylor administrators frequently did nothing or discouraged students from reporting sexual assaults. In at least one instance, “those actions constituted retaliation against a complainant,” according to the report.
But questions remain over how many students were victims, where the assaults occurred and who was accused.
In a lengthy letter sent to Baylor students, faculty, staff and others on Friday, Garland sought to “clarify” matters after a week of outrage and speculation from the public and media appearances and statements from former President Kenneth Starr and head coach Art Briles — both of whom lost their jobs in the wake of the scandal. Both Starr and Briles have called on the board of regents to be fully transparent.
“The Board and the administration, in short, have been as forthright as is possible and are fully committed to presenting the truth of these findings to Baylor Nation and the world,” Garland wrote. “We are also committed to reconciliation with those who have been harmed.”
Garland gave a lengthy defense of the Pepper Hamilton probe, writing that investigators “had the freedom to follow the facts” without interference. The portions of their findings released by Baylor fully reflect the facts and core failings identified in the investigation, Garland wrote. They have been released in a “format that protected the privacy of individuals.”