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Baylor fires head coach Art Briles

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In the wake of external investigations into acts of sexual violence, Baylor has fired head coach Art Briles, transitioned Ken Starr from university president to the role of chancellor, and sanctioned athletic director Ian McCaw.

The moves come after the release of the findings of the law firm of Pepper Hamilton, which looked into the university's handling of several rape and sexual assault claims made against members of the football team.

In a release from the school, Richard Willis, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents, said the findings of the report were a shocking wake-up call and required a drastic response.

"We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus. This investigation revealed the university's mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students," Willis said. "The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us. Our students and their families deserve more, and we have committed our full attention to improving our processes, establishing accountability and ensuring appropriate actions are taken to support former, current and future students."

Briles has technically been suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate, which is a bit of posturing required to ensure the move meets legal requirements. McCaw, meanwhile, has been placed on probation. Willis said the school has been contacted by the NCAA about possible violations and that Baylor will fully cooperate with any investigation.

"We have made these decisions, because, above all, we must safeguard our students and our campus," said Willis. "We must set a new course to ensure the leaders of the University place a premium on responding effectively and with sensitivity to those impacted by the tragedy of interpersonal violence."

According to ESPN's Brett McMurphy, Briles informed his players by text message that he's been dismissed. Some of them, including linebacker Taylor Young, tweeted their feelings about the matter.

Young also tweeted he won't play until Briles returns, though he later deleted the tweet.

For his part, Briles wasted no time in eliminating his own Twitter account.

Reports emerged Wednesday that Baylor had fired Starr, though the school responded with a statement indicating that Starr was still president.

"We, as the governing Board of this university, offer our apologies to the many who sought help from the university. We are deeply sorry for the harm that survivors have endured," said Ron Murff, chair-elect of the Baylor Board of Regents.

"Baylor's mission to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community remains our primary imperative. The Board has taken decisive action to ensure the university"s priorities are aligned with our unyielding commitment to that mission."

Bears defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will serve as Briles' interim replacement, according to Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports. Bennett served as head coach at SMU from 2002-07, going 18-51 over that span.

Baylor has faced increasing criticism in recent months for its handling of reports. One victim has sued the university, saying it was deliberately indifferent to her allegations against a former player who was eventually convicted of sexually assaulting her.

Starr initiated the law firm's review last year, after former football player Sam Ukwuachu was convicted of sexually assaulting a female soccer player.

Ukwuachu, who was convicted last year, transferred to Baylor after he was dismissed from Boise State. His former girlfriend testified during his rape trial in Texas that he had struck and choked her when he attended Boise State.

Ukwuachu's former coach, Chris Petersen, now the coach at Washington, said he ''thoroughly apprised'' Briles about the circumstances of Ukuwachu's dismissal. Briles disputed that account, saying he talked with Petersen and there was no mention of the incident.

The school is also facing a federal lawsuit from a former student claiming the school was ''deliberately indifferent'' to rape allegations levied at a former football player Tevin Elliott, who was convicted in 2014 of sexually assaulting the woman.

The uproar following Ukwuachu's conviction caused Baylor to initiate the review by the Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton, and to announce a $5 million effort to improve efforts on how it responds to sexual assault, including adding another investigator and more staff.

Upon his arrival in 2008, Briles turned around a Baylor program that hadn't had a winning season since 1995. After a pair of 4-8 campaigns, Briles guided the Bears to winning records for each of the last six seasons, including appearances in the Fiesta and Cotton Bowls in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Overall, Briles was 65-37 during his tenure at Baylor and 50-15 since 2011.

The entire finding of facts by the Board of Regents can be found here, while the recommendations by Pepper Hamilton LLP can be found here.

- With files from The Associated Press

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