What was Art Briles' sexual assault scandal? Analyzing a series of events during the coach's Baylor gig

The once-promising career of Art Briles came crashing down on May 26, 2016, when the Board of Regents of the University of Baylor released a document detailing the reports of a sexual assault scandal that had been brewing at the school for years.

Briles made the jump to a Power Five school when he moved from Houston to Baylor in 2008.

At Houston, he achieved a Conference USA conference title in 2006 and two C-USA Division West titles (2006, 2007). He brought two Big 12 titles to Baylor. His career seemed on an upward trajectory, earning Conference USA and Big 12 Coach of the Year awards. In 2013, he was named the AP's College Football Coach of the Year.

Iowa State v Baylor

The reason for Art Briles dismissal: Baylor's Sex Scandal

School officials had been suppressing reports of sexual misconduct and possible rapes from Baylor students for years, according to the report.

Some student-athletes were involved in the inappropriate conduct, with linebacker Tevin Elliot sentenced to 20 years of prison time in 2014. Defensive end Sam Ukwuachu was indicted but had his conviction reversed in 2019. Defensive end Shawn Oakman was also charged in 2016 but was found not guilty.

The scandal led to the dismissal of Art Briles, the resignation of university president Ken Starr, athletic director Ian McCaw and Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford.

The university-sponsored report concluded that at Baylor, there was:

“A cultural perception that football was above the rules.”

At the time, the school was criticized for not delivering a full written report to the public. Interim president David Garland stated the following reasons for not making public such a document:

“Various voices have called for the release of the ‘full report.' The lawyers’ report, however, was delivered in the form of an oral presentation that fully and comprehensively presented the individual and aggregated findings and the evidence supporting the findings.”

University spokeswoman Tonya Lewis defended the school's way of handling the issue in a press conference, stating that:

“We believe the release of findings and recommendations that so starkly identify the failures of an institution is virtually unprecedented.”

Art Briles's involvement in the scandal signified the end of his coaching career in the United States. Since then, he hasn't held any coaching job at the pro or collegiate level, only briefly being the head coach of a high school.