Coach paid $15.1 million by top university after being removed for sexual assault scandal
Art Briles will likely never coach football again after his ouster from Baylor University in 2016 amid a sexual assault scandal that rocked his program.
Of course, Briles will likely never need to coach again, at least from a financial standpoint.
Tax records filed by the school for 2016 reveal Briles received a $15.1 million settlement from the school upon his dismissal, the Dallas Morning News uncovered.
Baylor University also paid former president Kenneth Starr $4.5 million after he was forced out from the school and then-athletic director Ian McCaw received $761,059, or essentially one year’s salary, upon his resignation as part of the same scandal.
The scandal involved reports of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence against multiple members of the Baylor football program between 2011-2014. A school report suggested 17 women had reported assaults involving 19 players — including four allegations of gang rape.
However, a lawsuit filed against the school — and since settled — alleged 52 acts of rape by 31 players over the 4-year period.
A school-commissioned investigation by an outside law firm found members of the football staff conducted inquiries into sexual assaults by players but did not report them to the school’s administration. The report also found some administrators encouraged victims not to report complaints.
“Leadership challenges and communications issues hindered enforcement of rules and policies, and created a cultural perception that football was above the rules,” the report by the Pepper Hamilton law firm said.
During the 4-year period in question, Baylor’s football program produced three 10-win seasons and two Big-12 conference titles.
The $15.1 million settlement with Briles represents less than half of the eight years and $39 million the former coach had remaining on his contract with the school. He had been receiving about $6.19 million per season, which would have made him the Big 12’s highest-paid coach and one of the highest paid in the country.
The school addressed the legal settlements in a statement, referencing the completion of 105 recommendations laid out by Pepper Hamilton in its report.
“Baylor stands by the unprecedented corrective actions the Board of Regents made in May of 2016, which included leadership changes within the University administration and athletic department and the acceptance of 105 recommendations to improve our processes, communication, training and response related to incidents of sexual violence within our campus community,” the statement said.
Despite the settlements, the university is far from finished with the consequences of the sex assault scandal, the Morning News reported.
The NCAA, the Big-12 conference, the Office of Civil Rights and the Texas Rangers are continuing to look into various aspects of the scandal at the school.
The university is also the subject of five active-victim lawsuits related to campus-wide sexual assault issues. Some of the court dates on the lawsuits extend into next year.
This month, three players were suspended from football team in the wake of sexual assault allegations against other members of the school’s athletic program.
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