College football: Former coach Art Briles sues three Baylor officials for libel, slander

Former Baylor football coach Art Briles sued three school regents and a vice president for libel and slander Thursday, accusing them of falsely stating he knew of reported assaults and alleged gang rapes by players and didn’t report them.

The lawsuit also asserts that Baylor officials conspired to damage his reputation and keep him from getting another coaching job. It also seeks damages for emotional distress and likely ending his career as a coach “on any level.”

“Some people think themselves above the law, but the laws of Texas establish accountability for everyone, even renegade, self-dealing regents of a Christian university,” Briles’ lawsuit states.

The lawsuit was filed in Llano County in central Texas. It names Baylor regents Chairman Ronald Murff, board members J. Cary Gray and David Harper, and Baylor Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Reagan Ramsower.

Baylor officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Briles was fired last May after an investigation determined Baylor mishandled reports of alleged sexual and physical assaults, some by football players. Briles denies he knew about and failed to report alleged assaults.

The lawsuit accuses the regents and Ramsower of spreading false information through media interviews with Texas and national outlets on the advice of a recently-hired media relations firm, G.F. Bunting + Co., which was not named as a defendant.

Regents first told The Wall Street Journal in October that 17 women had reported domestic violence or sexual assaults that involved 19 football players since 2011, including four gang rapes.

Those figures had never been disclosed to Briles when he was fired or during his settlement after he sued for wrongful termination, Briles’ lawsuit said.

Briles argues that releasing those figures was intended to falsely portray him as hiding knowledge of alleged attacks. Allegations that he knew about and failed to report the alleged attacks are “false” and created to “expose Coach Briles to public hatred, contempt, ridicule and cause him financial injury,” the lawsuit says.

The allegations have prevented Briles, who had built Baylor into a Big 12 and national power, from getting another coaching job, the lawsuit states.

Etc.

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