Kyler Proffitt
Kyler Proffitt
It appears these days, more often than not, that football is more important than protecting human beings under the law. At least that is the case for Art Briles and the Baylor University football program.
Students go to college expecting to have fun, make friends and find out who they truly are as people. Some went to Baylor University and were taken advantage of sexually. While they were taken advantage of, they were kept quiet by those who did their best to keep it in under the rug.
Where is the morality in this world?
Briles may be the most disliked man in college football currently, and that’s saying a lot considering Nick Saban is still at Alabama. Briles coached at Baylor for eight years, being incredibly successful and leading the team to a 65-37 overall record including a 3-3 record in bowl games. A clearly successful coach, it seemed like he just put in hard work and helped make his players into the best they can be.
While on the football field that is true, off the field is a whole different story. It began when Sam Ukwuachu, a former Baylor defensive end, was found guilty for sexually assaulting a former Baylor soccer player. He was sentenced to 180 days of county jail, 10 years of felony probation and 400 hours of community service. At that moment, the university realized it needed to conduct an internal investigation, to see if there was more.
Baylor hired Philadelphia Law Firm Pepper Hamilton to conduct a thorough internal investigation to see how sexual assault cases had been handled in the past. At this point, Briles and company had to have realized they were in serious trouble, and rightfully so.
It was found that there were several instances in which Baylor failed to thoroughly investigate and accommodate those who were victims of sexual assault. They also took more than three years to comply with a federal directive to hire a full time Title IX coordinator. How does a school get away with not having to abide by the law for that long? Especially considering it’s as simple as hiring a coordinator for Title IX.
With information slowly but surely leaking in, Shawn Oakman was arrested on charges of sexual assault. Yes, Shawn Oakman, the man who everyone has a picture of on their phone looking like a giant, and the source of many social media memes. He had been previously accused of sexual assault toward an ex-girlfriend in 2013, but no charges were filed.
There would be no surprise behind Briles and the athletic department throwing money at the accuser to keep her from cooperating in the investigation. Wins are hard to come by these days; nobody would like to do it the hard way.
It was reported that Baylor took two years to investigate a sexual assault report made against two football players. Surprisingly, that came as being against the law.
Then the beans were completely spilled with Pepper Hamilton finishing its report. There were a large number of unknown allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence that were not being reported. It is understood that some Baylor officials knew, but did nothing about it.
In the aftermath of the findings, Briles was fired, Baylor President Ken Starr was removed and athletic director Ian McCaw resigned, proving he may have known more than he admitted about all allegations.
What in the world is wrong with people? This doesn’t just happen at Baylor University; it’s likely happening other places we just haven’t yet been notified by because it is currently swept under the rug. These former Baylor staff members have serious issues.
We are talking about human beings who will be scarred for the rest of their lives because some football player decided they were above the law. Newsflash for all: Nobody is above the law; it doesn’t matter what your title is, or who you are.
It was even reported that Briles was aware of Ukwuachu’s situation while he was a player at Boise State, before transferring to Baylor. He apparently had been kicked out for sexually assaulting a female while with the Broncos, and yet Briles still wanted him there. I’m all for second chances, but that has the making of a sick mind that someone could actually accommodate players who treat a human being in that manner.
Then, Briles has the guts to come out and say he’ll be coaching again in 2017. As if none of this ever happened, he completely just squashed it like he’s done nothing wrong and he truly believes he deserves to be coaching again. It is absolutely absurd. The man is a fool and an embarrassment to society.
The truth always comes out, and for Baylor football, it did. Not soon enough though to save the survivors who will forever have to live knowing they were taken advantage of, thanks to a culture that values winning over human decency.