Briles admits he knew about Ukwuachu's 'rocky relationship' with girlfriend at Boise State

Baylor head coach Art Briles now says he was aware of Sam Ukwuachu's troubled relationship with his girlfriend at Boise State.

In a statement issued Friday following the former defensive end's conviction for sexual assault, Briles detailed a conversation he had with then-Broncos head coach Chris Petersen about Ukwuachu transferring to the Bears, in which he said that Petersen specified that the defensive end needed to get "closer to home."

"In our discussion, he did not disclose that there had been violence toward women, but he did tell me of a rocky relationship with his girlfriend which contributed to his depression," said Briles. "The only disciplinary action I was aware of were team-related issues, insubordination of coaches, and missing practice."

That "rocky relationship" included an assault on the woman at his apartment, according to her testimony.

This statement comes just hours after the Baylor head coach told ESPN that Petersen only told him about Ukwuachu's depression.

"I talked with Chris Petersen personally," Briles told Max Olson of ESPN. "No mention of anything beyond Sam being depressed, needing to come home. It's unfortunate for everybody concerned. That's really about it."

However, this was contrary to a statement Petersen later released through ESPN on Friday, saying Briles was fully aware of the situation.

"After Sam Ukwuachu was dismissed from the Boise State football program and expressed an interest in transferring to Baylor, I initiated a call with coach Art Briles," Petersen said. "In that conversation, I thoroughly apprised Coach Briles of the circumstances surrounding Sam's disciplinary record and dismissal."

Briles then reiterated his denial when asked directly about his knowledge of Ukwuachu's history.

"No. No. That's not true," Briles said. "Lord, no. No, there's no truth. Find out who informed us and talk to them, please."

After Ukwuachu was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of felony probation on Friday, the university announced that they would be launching an internal investigation into how the situation was handled.

To bolster his claim that he was unaware of Ukwuachu's disciplinary issues, Briles released a form through a spokesman that demonstrated that Boise State's compliance office checked "No" when asked if Ukwuachu was "suspended or disqualified for disciplinary reasons."