The Baylor Bears football program has been trying to move past a scandal about their alleged mishandling of sexual assault and rape accusations, namely that the school and coaching staff ignored sexual assaults committed by football players.
Head coach Art Briles, athletic director Ian McCaw and school president Ken Starr were all fired or left the school due to the scandal, but a new lawsuit has detailed exactly how widespread the problem at Baylor was. According to Sarah Mervosh of the Dallas Morning News, a former student at Baylor is suing the university, claiming that over 30 football players committed over 50 rapes from 2011-2014:
A Baylor University graduate who says she was raped by football players in 2013 sued the university Friday. Her lawsuit includes an allegation that 31 Baylor football players committed 52 acts of rape, including five gang rapes, between 2011 and 2014 -- an estimate that far exceeds the number previously provided by school regents.
The woman, identified in the suit as Elizabeth Doe, reports being brutally gang raped by then-Baylor football players Tre'Von Armstead and Shamycheal Chatman after a party on April 18, 2013.
Those football players were previously named as suspects in a police report about a rape on that date, but were never charged.
The lawsuit describes a culture of sexual violence within Baylor's athletics, in which the school implemented a "show 'em a good time" policy that "used sex to sell" the football program to recruits.
Former assistant coach Kendall Briles once told a Dallas area student athlete, "Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at Baylor and they love football players," according to the suit.
Investigation by lawyers identified at least 52 "acts of rape," including five gang rapes, by 31 football players from 2011 to 2014. At least two of the gang rapes were committed by 10 or more players at one time, the suit states.
Doe claims she was raped by Armstead and Chatman following a party in April 2013 held at former Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman's house. She was intoxicated at the party and doesn't remember returning home with Armstead and Chatman, and suffered a bruise on her cheek and bite mark on her neck.
Her roommate's boyfriend said he heard "what sounded like wrestling and a fist hitting someone" and Doe saying "no." However, before police arrived, another member of the Baylor Bruins - a group that hosts prospective athletes during visits - reportedly came and tried to cover up the incident.
Before police arrived, a fellow Baylor Bruin came over -- apparently already aware of what happened -- and instructed Doe to tell police she had "consensual sex with one white male" to protect the athletes, the suit alleges. It cites a Title IX investigation into the incident, which later showed that Chatman had called the Bruin and given her the "assignment."
Doe graduated from Baylor in 2014 and is suing on grounds of Title IX violations and negligence.
Baylor had the Law Firm of Pepper Hamilton conduct an investigation into the sexual assault allegations, and they revealed in October they found 17 women who reported rapes or sexual assaults involving 19 players from 2011-2014.
The university has not commented on the lawsuit.
Stay tuned to Chat Sports for more on this story as it becomes available.
Back to the Baylor Bears Newsfeed