Baylor's Art Briles releases statement, documents on DE Sam Ukwuachu
As controversy swirled Friday about Baylor's admittance of a transfer football player with a violent past, Baylor coach Art Briles issued a statement clarifying remarks he had made earlier in the day about his conversation with then-Boise State coach Chris Petersen in 2013 regarding the player's transfer.
But, Briles reiterated that he was not informed of allegations that Sam Ukwuachu had been violent toward women.
Ukwuachu was sentenced Friday to 180 days in jail and given 10 years of probation for sexually assaulting a female Baylor soccer player in October 2013, while he was enrolled at Baylor but ineligible because of NCAA transfer rules. He never played for the Bears.
Briles' full statement reads:
"I was contacted by Coach Petersen at Boise State in spring 2013 and he told me he had a player from Texas who needed to get closer to home and that he thought our program would be a good spot for him. I know and respect Coach Petersen and he would never recommend a student-athlete to Baylor that he didn't believe in. In our discussion, he did not disclose that there had been violence toward women, but he did tell me of a rocky relationship with his girlfriend which contributed to his depression. The only disciplinary action I was aware of were team-related issues, insubordination of coaches and missing practice.
In addition, I talked with Tony Heath, his high school coach, who gave us a great recommendation.
As required with any transfer to Baylor, Boise State acknowledged that he was not suspended due to any institutional disciplinary reasons and further that he was eligible for competition if he chose to return to Boise State."
The school also released a standard form, filled out by a Boise State compliance official, and pointed out two answers which indicated Ukwuachu had not been subject to suspension or disqualification by Boise State for disciplinary reasons, and that he would have been eligible to play football if he had returned to Boise State.
The forms did not address whether he had been dismissed from the Boise State football team. In fact, he had been.
Earlier Friday, Briles had told reporters he hadn't known the details behind Ukwuachu's departure from Boise State. He said in a conversation with Petersen, who's now Washington's head coach, there had been "no mention of anything beyond Sam being depressed and needing to come home. That was our information and that's what you go by."
Petersen then issued a statement saying that he "thoroughly apprised" Briles about why Ukwuachu was dismissed at Boise State.
"After Sam Ukwuachu was dismissed from the Boise State football program and expressed an interest in transferring to Baylor, I initiated a call with coach Art Briles. In that conversation, I thoroughly apprised Coach Briles of the circumstances surrounding Sam's disciplinary record and dismissal," said Petersen, who was Boise State's coach at the time.
Early Friday evening, before Briles' statement, Baylor announced that President and Chancellor Ken Starr has called for a comprehensive internal inquiry into the case "and the conduct of the offices involved."
Baylor law professor Jeremy Counseller, a former assistant criminal district attorney, will conduct the review. The school said Starr will determine further action based on the results of the review.
"Acts of sexual violence contradict every value Baylor University upholds as a caring Christian community," the school said in a statement.
As part of his sentencing Friday, the 22-year-old Ukwuachu was also was ordered to perform 400 hours of community service as another condition of probation. He had faced up to 20 years in prison.
The jury recommended that Ukwuachu be sentenced to 8 years in prison but that the sentenced be probated.
Baylor enters the 2015 season at No. 4 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll.