Baylor President to will ask for outside investigation of Ukwuachu case

USA TODAY Sports

Baylor President Ken Starr said Friday he will recommend that the Board of Regents hire external counsel to review the athletic department.

Starr also plans to create a new position to oversee all student-athlete behavior.

The announcement comes following an internal inquiry commissioned last Friday, the day football player Sam Ukwuachu was sentenced to 180 days in jail and given 10 years of probation for sexually assaulting a female soccer player.

“We must guarantee there is no room at Baylor University for those who would perpetrate sexual violence on our campus."Starr said in a statement. "I want to thank Jeremy Counseller, Professor of Law and Faculty Athletics Representative, for his judgment and guidance. After reviewing the results of his internal inquiry, I am recommending that our Board of Regents retain the services of outside counsel to investigate thoroughly these matters and recommend continued improvements. The Board plans to announce its selection of outside counsel early next week.

“In addition, I am creating a unique position, housed in the Division of Athletics, that has the authority and oversight of all student-athlete behavior. This officer-level position will report directly to the President and ensure our student-athletes maintain the high level of personal ethics and integrity that Baylor Nation demands. I will work directly with the Board of Regents to formulate the specific responsibilities of this position."

Ukwuachu, a defensive end from Pearland, Texas, started 12 games for Boise State as a freshman. He transferred in 2013 after being dismissed for unspecified reasons, but never played for Baylor. He was ineligible in 2013 because of NCAA transfer rules and suspended in 2014, though Baylor never gave a reason.

During the sexual assault trial, an ex-girlfriend of Ukwuachu testified that he had punched and choked her, which Ukwuachu denies.

Since Ukwuachu’s conviction, officials at Baylor and Boise State, where Ukwuachu was a freshman All-American, have offered conflicting explanations about what each side knew of the defensive end’s alleged physical abuse of an ex-girlfriend before he transferred.

Starr's announcement comes on the same day the victim in the Ukwuachu case retained prominent Title IX attorney John Clune, who has been one of the leading attorneys in this area over the past several years, pushing for changes at several schools that his clients allege have mishandled their complaints of sexual assault on campus.