Baylor University is again in hot water after a former student filed a lawsuit against the school Friday over Title IX violations.
The lawsuit, which was first reported by the Dallas Morning News, alleges that 31 Baylor football players committed 52 acts of rape, including five gang rapes, between 2011 and 2014. The woman alleges that she was raped by then-Baylor football players Tre’Von Armstead and Shamycheal Chatman on April 18, 2013.
Both Armstead and Chatham were previously named as suspects in a sexual assault case related to that date but were not charged.
The suit also states that one of the victim’s attackers, Chatham, was accused of rape once before but the suit alleges that Baylor failed to intervene. According to the suit, the football program and former head coach Art Briles created a “show ’em a good time” culture and “used sex to sell” the program to recruits.
The suit alleges Baylor did not investigate the woman’s claims, as is required by Title IX, and that Armstead was allowed to remain on campus, while Chatham transferred schools. In the fall of 2015, Baylor’s newly created Title IX office investigated the complaint against Armstead and he was eventually found responsible for rape and expelled in the spring of 2016.
If any of these allegations against the school turn out to be true, Baylor should expect a harsh and well-deserved penalty from the NCAA, perhaps even the death penalty.
Thumbnail photo via Michael C. Johnson/USA TODAY Sports Images
