Ukwuachu victim's words bigger than Briles-Petersen statements
Frankly, this column is starting to become tiresome to write. You know the column. School X's coach allows Player Y to transfer to his school -- either knowing the player's past violent behavior, or a wink-wink, nod-nod that the coach doesn't want to know -- and the transfer blows up in his face.
It's Baylor's turn now after defensive end Sam Ukwuachu, a former Boise State player, was convicted Thursday of raping a Baylor soccer player. The spotlight has previously been on Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Florida State, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Missouri -- the list goes on and on and on -- in relation to violence against women. It's not just athletes, of course. Sexual assault is a widespread problem on campuses.
So I turned, as I often do with these stories, to Kathy Redmond Brown, who founded the National Coalition Against Violent Athletes and who was once sexually assaulted by a Nebraska football player. What's going to change so more universities and coaches accept responsibility that their recruiting decisions impact the safety of students?
“For a long time, all the power and authority has been given to the athletic department at many universities,†Redmond Brown said. “It's really about a school's leadership and its culture. I've talked to [New England Patriots owner] Robert Kraft so many times about this and how he couldn't look a dad in the eye whose daughter was victimized by a guy he brought in. It's that kind of attitude we need to happen -- that personal responsibility, even if it isn't the coach's daughter.â€
There's now a sort of he-said, he-said between Art Briles and Chris Petersen over the background of a player convicted of rape and sentenced to six months in prison. What did they share in their conversation about Ukwuachu in 2013? Did they discuss his violent behavior against his then-girlfriend? Unless one of them taped the talk, only the coaches really know.
Briles said Petersen, then Boise State's coach, made “no mention of anything beyond Sam being depressed and needing to go home. That was our information and that's what you go by.†Texas Monthly reported Boise State informed Baylor in August 2013 that Boise State did not support any waivers to get Ukwuachu back on the field. Wouldn't that be a red flag two years ago to question why Boise State didn't support the waiver?
Briles emphatically denied having any knowledge of Ukwuachu's violent past. "Lord, no. No, there's no truth," Briles said. "Find out who informed us and talk to them, please.â€
Later Friday, Petersen released this statement: “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.â€
So Briles countered with a statement that said he was contacted by Petersen and was not told Ukwuachu had committed 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.â€
Baylor released a transfer document showing Boise State had not dismissed or suspended Ukwuachu from the university and that he was eligible to return to the university. That's a partial fact. The document doesn't address that Ukwuachu was dismissed from the team or what Briles and Petersen said to each other.
What's the truth? We'll probably learn more when the rape victim most likely sues Baylor. The situation is already bad for Baylor. The trial judge determined the university so poorly investigated the rape victim's accusation that he wouldn't allow Ukwuachu's defense to use it. So now Baylor says it will conduct an internal inquiry "into the circumstances associated with the case and the conduct of the offices involved."
“Athletic departments know better,†Redmond Brown said. “I talk to them all the time. They have these discussions: ‘Do we bring him on? We need him because he's a player of need. We feel we can babysit the guy.'â€
There is a tidal wave of change happening at college universities about sexual assault and violence against women. The times are changing about how the public reacts to this issue and how the federal government handles it. Yet some schools and their coaches aren't totally on board.
This isn't about deserving a second chance. It's about universities and coaches being held accountable for recruiting decisions that put their student body at risk. Whether he knew it or not, Briles signed a football player with a history of violence who was convicted of raping a Baylor soccer player after coming on campus.
“It's economics,†Redmond Brown said. “Say a school gets sued for Title IX. [The Office of Civil Rights] levies a maximum of a $250,000 fine. A booster could pay that. The victims' settlement comes down to insurance. Big deal. So what's the penalty? If there's a need on the team, they're going to weigh the cost/benefits at these schools.â€
The sad thing is influential men such as Briles could be part of the solution to sexual assault on campus. Coaches could send clear messages with actions, not words, that they're not going to add players who commit violent acts against women.
On a day like this, it's easy to forget what we're even talking about and get bogged into parsing football coaches' quotes. So let's end this column with the words of the woman raped by Okwuachu. She read a statement Friday in court during sentencing with Okwuachu in the room. Dallas WFAA sports reporter Mike Leslie posted the women's quotes on Twitter.
“Why can't he listen when someone says stop or no? Did my screams not bother him? Were his ears already turned off?â€
And more: “Boys, men ... males. They all scare me now.â€
And more: “I will never be the same. I'm no longer the soccer player or the social girl. I'm not even __ __. I'm just the girl who got raped.â€
She's the reason why accountability must happen at universities. Listen to her. Really listen.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jon-solomon/25277268/ikwuachu-victims-words-more-important-than-briles-petersen-contradictions
