Art Briles, Baylor Assistants Kept Players’ Misbehaviors Secret, Legal Documents Show

Newly unveiled emails and text messages allegedly sent by former Baylor Bears football coach Art Briles reveal how inadequately he and his assistants handled their players’ misbehaviors with guns, drugs and even an incident where a player exposed himself to a woman at a spa.

The Former Baylor Coach And His Assistants Tried To Keep Player Disciplinary Cases Under Wraps

The documents filed in a Dallas County court came in response to a libel lawsuit that former football director of operations Colin Shillinglaw had filed Tuesday against the school and multiple members of his senior leadership.

In an email to ESPN, Shillinglaw’s lawyer, Gaines West, called Thursday’s filing “very unorthodox.”

The regents who responded with the court documents claimed in them that Shillinglaw’s suit is just a “smokescreen” to mask the truth about the football program under Briles. They published the shocking text messages to prove their point.

— On April 8, 2011, after a freshman defensive tackle was cited for illegal consumption of alcohol, Coach 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 February 11, 2013, an assistant coach notified Coach Briles of a claim by a female student-athlete that a football player brandished a gun at her. Coach 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.” Coach 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 September 13, 2013, Shillinglaw sent a text to Coach 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.” Coach 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, Coach Briles wrote, “Not quite as bad.”

— On September 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, Coach Briles texted 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).” Athletics Director Ian McCaw replied: “That would be great if they kept it quiet!”

— On May 14, 2014, after Coach 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 Coach 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.”

The list of scandals and rule violations goes on.

On Wednesday, Briles dropped his defamation suit against three regents and Baylor Vice President Reagan Ramsower, less than a week after another woman filed a Title IX lawsuit against the school, in which her attorneys allege there were 52 sexual assaults committed by “not less” than 31 players from 2011 to 2014.

When reached, the NCAA had no comment, and neither did Briles’ attorney, Ernest Cannon.

WACO, TX – OCTOBER 24: Baylor Bears head coach Art Briles applauds his team as the Bears take on the Iowa State Cyclones in the second half at McLane Stadium on October 24, 2015 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)