Baylor University removes head football coach, president over mishandling of sexual assault reports

Baylor University fired head football coach Art Briles on Thursday as the program faces ongoing scrutiny following multiple allegations of assault and sexual assault. University President Ken Starr has also been removed, with the school announcing he will "transition to role of Chancellor."

Briles has been with Baylor for eight seasons, racking up a 65-37 record. However, the football program was engulfed in scandal when former Baylor student Jasmin Hernandez filed a lawsuit against Baylor alleging the university did not properly handle her 2012 report of rape by then-Baylor football team member Tevin Elliott. Elliot was later convicted, and is now serving a 20-year sentence. Two other former Baylor students also came forward during the trial to testify that they had been raped by Elliot.

In August 2014, another Baylor football player, Sam Ukwuachu, was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in 2013. Just last month, Shawn Oakman, also on the football team, was arrested on the suspicion of raping a woman although he has said the encounter was consensual. Additional allegations against Baylor football players have been revealed by Waco, Texas, police in the past week.

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Law firm Pepper Hamilton was hired in September to look at the school's treatment of the sexual assault allegations, and reportedly presented its findings to the board of regents earlier in May. "We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus," regents chairman Richard Willis said in a statement. "This investigation revealed the University's mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive, and caring environment for students. The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us."