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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Breaking months of public silence, former Baylor coach Art Briles said Thursday he could no longer “remain silent” and insisted he did not cover up sexual violence by his players or try to obstruct any investigations tied to the assault scandal at the nation’s largest Baptist university.
Briles released a one-page letter defending himself against allegations that he ignored incidents of assault and ran a rogue football program full of miscreants. The letter was issued one day after the Texas Rangers, the state’s elite criminal investigations unit, said it had opened a preliminary probe into how Baylor handled assault reports over several years.
“I did not cover-up any sexual violence. I had no contact with anyone that claimed to be a victim of sexual or domestic assault. Anyone well-versed in my work as a coach knows that I strove to promote excellence, but never at the sacrifice of safety for anyone,” Briles wrote . “I did not obstruct justice on campus or off.”
When alerted to an assault incident, Briles said, his response was that victims should go to the police so it could be prosecuted.
Baylor officials declined comment.
Baylor faces several federal lawsuits from women who say Baylor mishandled, ignored or suppressed their claims of assault for years, including several cases involving football players. Briles is named as a defendant in at least one of those. The school also faces a federal civil rights investigation.
“(R)umor, innuendo and out of context messages, emails and comments have no place in a true fact-finding mission,” Briles wrote Thursday. “The key to growth for the school begins with full transparence, not selective messaging.”
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna told The Dallas Morning News his office “months ago” requested interviews and documents collected in the Pepper Hamilton investigation.
