Baylor Athletes Suspended Amid Assault Allegations: Reports

WACO, TX — Three Baylor University football players were suspended from the team shortly after allegations of sexual assault were made to university police in November, various media outlets report. The players were reportedly accused by two female members of the school's equestrian team.

Title IX officials are investigating the allegations, and the accused students will remain enrolled at Baylor pending the probe's outcome, Washington Post reported.

In addition, ESPN reports The McLennan County District Attorney's office is considering bringing charges against the players, but a case has not been presented to a grand jury at this time.

“Suspensions happen,” Baylor's head football coach Matt Rhule said in an interview with KCEN. “I’m not saying they did anything wrong. We are just going to separate them from the team until we know what happened and so justice can be served.”

Rhule confirmed the suspensions but said he knew very little about the accusations.

“It’s been very transparent from this side. I don’t know much about the case, and I think that’s really a good thing because I probably shouldn’t know much about it as the football coach.”

Rhule went on to say he believes the school was "doing things right" when it came to investigating the allegations.

"People are going to say things, and I get all that, but that doesn't mean there's a bad culture," Rhule said. "There's a bad culture when kids do things and grown-ups hide them. And nobody's hiding anything here. And so that's why I know that we're doing things right."

The school's president, Linda Livingstone, released a statement Tuesday evening through a university spokesperson, KCEN reported.

"Baylor University takes any allegation of sexual assault seriously. The University’s new leadership team is unwavering in our commitment to follow our well-documented Title IX policy and procedures in regards to reporting and responding to incidents of sexual assault. The responsibility of responding to alleged incidents of sexual violence does not rest solely in the hands of any specific individual or unit. It is a University response dictated by our Title IX policy. Baylor University remains committed to providing for the safety and security of our campus community."

Baylor came under fire in 2014 after allegations led to the firing of the university's former coach Art Briles, the demotion of university president Ken Starr and the suspension of athletic director Ian McCaw.

The scandal was investigated by several collegiate, state and local authorities and resulted in 1o Title IX lawsuits filed against the university by a total of 22 women — 20 of whom allege either sexual or physical assault, ESPN wrote.

Baylor has said it implemented 105 recommended changes after the scandal including Title IX training.

Related on Patch:

• Lawsuit Against Baylor Alleges Football Players Committed 52 Rapes In 3 Years
• Baylor University Names First Female President Amid Growing Campus Sexual Assault Scandal

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