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Court Filing Details Former Baylor Football Coach's Conduct

A new court filing detailed allegations that former Baylor University football coach Art Briles ignored sexual assaults by players, failed to alert university officials or discipline athletes and allowed them to continue playing.

The filing is in response to a lawsuit against Baylor and several officials including interim President David Garland by former assistant athletic director Colin Shillinglaw, who said he was falsely accused of mishandling several incidents.

It said that in one case a masseuse asked the team to discipline a player who reportedly exposed himself in 2013. The court filing said Briles texted an assistant coach: "What kind of discipline... She a stripper?"

Briles did not remove defensive lineman Tevin Elliott from the team or notify university officials even though two women accused Elliott of rape in separate incidents in 2012, the court filings noted.

There were several reports of gang rapes involving football players during Briles' tenure. In one alleged incident in 2013, the victim was a Baylor athlete. According to the filing, the woman's coach went to Briles and showed him a list of players the victim had identified.

"These are some bad dudes. Why was she around those guys?" Briles is quoted in the filing as saying.

"The football program was a black hole into which reports of misconduct such as drug use, physical assault, domestic violence, brandishing of guns, indecent exposure and academic fraud disappeared," the court filing said.

Briles was fired last May after an internal investigation determined the football program acted as if it was "above the rules." That report said coaches and staff interfered with or tried to stifle investigations of sexual and physical assault.

The former coach on Wednesday dropped a defamation lawsuit against three Baylor regents and a university vice president who he said had libeled and slandered him.

Briles' attorney, Ernest Cannon, said the suit was dropped so that Briles could move on with his life. Cannon declined immediate comment on the allegations in the new filing, saying he had not yet read it.

The text messages in the filing are listed below:

  • On April 8, 2011, after a freshman defensive tackle was cited for illegal consumption of alcohol, Briles sent a text message to an assistant coach: “Hopefully he’s under radar enough they won’t recognize name – did he get ticket from Baylor police or Waco? … Just trying to keep him away from our judicial affairs folks....”
  • On Feb. 11, 2013, an assistant coach notified Briles of a claim by a female student-athlete that a football player brandished a gun at her. Briles responded: “what a fool – she reporting to authorities” The assistant coach texted back: “She’s acting traumatized … Trying to talk her calm now…Doesn’t seem to want to report though.” Briles texted: “U gonna talk to [the player].” The assistant coach concluded: “Yes sir, just did. Caught him on the way to class… Squeezed him pretty good.” The matter was never reported to Judicial Affairs.
  • On Sept. 13 2013, Shillinglaw sent a text to Briles about a player who got a massage and “supposedly exposed himself and asked for favors. She [masseuse] has a lawyer but wants us to handle with discipline and counseling.” Briles’ first response was “What kind of discipline… She a stripper?” When Shillinglaw said the player made the request at a salon and spa while getting a massage, Briles wrote, “Not quite as bad.”
  • On Sept. 20, 2013, after a player was arrested for assault and threatening to kill a non-athlete, a football operations staff official tried to talk the victim out of pressing criminal charges. Meanwhile, Briles texted then-Athletics Director Ian McCaw: “Just talked to [the player] – he said Waco PD was there – said they were going to keep it quiet – Wasn’t a set up deal... I'll get shill (Shillinglaw) to ck on Sibley (local attorney Jonathan Sibley).” McCaw replied: “That would be great if they kept it quiet!”
  • In Oct. 2013, Shillinglaw and Briles discussed their efforts to intervene on behalf of a player who was suspended for repeated drug violations. "Bottomline, he has to meet with (Vice President for Student Life Kevin) Jackson tomorrow morning. If Jackson does not reinstate President will," Shillinglaw wrote.
  • On May 14, 2014, after Briles learned from an assistant coach that a player had been caught selling drugs, he texted: “I’m hoping it will take care of itself – if not we can discuss best way to move on it.” The offense was never reported to Judicial Affairs and Briles arranged for the player to transfer to another school. The assistant coach texted: “Him just hanging around Waco scares me. [Another school] will take him. Knows baggage.”
  • On Aug. 15, 2015, after a player was arrested for possession of marijuana, Briles texted an assistant coach: “Shit – how about that – he’s gonna b(sic) in the system now – let me know what you think we should do… I can get shill (Shillinglaw) to call Sibley or we can.... Do we know who complained?” The assistant coach responded that the complainant was the superintendent at the player’s apartment complex. Briles replied: “We need to know who supervisor is and get him to alert us first.”

Lawsuit by former assistant athletic director Colin Shillinglaw:

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