I was raised in Texas, surrounded by football. The Longhorns were legends (the mighty have fallen), the Cowboys' games caused heart attacks and Friday night football games were attended like church. I don't want to underscore the importance of a good sport's following. It can raise morale of a school and bring in money that will be allocated to different departments that sometimes don't get noticed. It places focus on a university, which strengthens the degree. It can be a great thing, and I love football.
But do you know what is more important than football? A positive regard for human life and safety. Baylor football, the university and parts of the town of Waco have demonstrated a disregard for this. I won't fault everyone (I know some super solid people who attend BU, and most people there are probably solid), but this needs to be addressed. Yes, I attend TCU, and Baylor is our built in rival, but this is about more than a battle for pride or prank wars. This is about placing football over the safety and security of Baylor's women.
A little background for those who don't track the current events of small liberal arts schools' football programs, which you should. Baylor and TCU are in the Big 12. Here is the quick run down:
Since 2014, three Baylor football players have been charged with sexual assault. In addition, five other players were accused of raping or assaulting female students, but the university dragged their feet and offered little to no support of the women, according to a report done by ESPN's "Outside the Lines." One of the charged,Tevin Elliot, is serving 20 years. Are you thinking now, "Man I surely would have heard of this, it seems like kind of a big deal?" Well, everyone who knew swept it under the rug.
The university and coaching staff reportedly knew about everything. Even a Waco policeman went to "extraordinary" measures to keep the allegations in the dark. More, earlier this year, a player Sam Ukwaucha, transferred to Baylor after being kicked off the Boise State team for unspecified reasons. He was indicted on two accounts of sexual assault on a Baylor soccer player. He will spend six months in jail. Later, it was revealed that he was dismissed from the Broncos for violence towards women and head coach Art Briles knew. Most recently, Shawn Oakman, a sure-fire NFL draft pick, was charged for rape in April. This wasn't his first accusation. He was, obviously, not drafted. See a pattern? This is just the surface, and people are outraged.
Ken Starr, the university president was allegedly voted out by the university's board of regents, and reassigned, which if you ask me is not really a punishment. As of Wednesday May 26, the head coach, Art Briles was put on suspension with the intent to terminate after serious public pressure to do so. These are good steps, albeit steps forced by the public face-slapping of a massive Baptist university, but are they enough to fix this? I think not. Baylor's "Real Men Respect Women" sign didn't work in 2013. Neither did their "extensive education course."
Briles and Ken Starr may be on the way out, but this is clearly a systemic issue in Waco and in football. I am not satisfied with this punishment. The university knew, the Waco Police department knew, everyone who has the power to change this knew. They did nothing as women's lives were being ruined. Schools like SMU get the football death penalty for illegal recruiting, which is an issue also, but who knows what Baylor will get? Probably nothing. This was not a simple breaking of the rules, it was crossing a moral barrier. Still, there is not a technical NCAA regulation that was broken. With that, the cycle of sexual assault may continue. Hopefully the NCAA can set precedent here and do something that will bring about a positive change.
Football and solid morality can exist hand-in-hand. I go to a university that proves that. Obviously not all Baylor football players, or football players in general, disrespect the safety of women. But to those who don't, someone taught them to act that way. Someone taught them is was OK. The officials that swept this under the rug so swiftly put a sport, a game, over the safety of their students. That is the truth of the matter. Something needs to change.
