Baylor Football Players Accused of Gang-Raping as Bonding Ritual

A federal lawsuit has been filed against Baylor University, alleging that in 2012 Baylor football players drugged and gang-raped women as a part of a hazing ritual, and also accusing the university administration of failing to investigate, NPR news reported.

According to the Title IX lawsuit, the school's response was “deliberately indifferent” to the incidents, and said that the football players would frequently take photographs and videos of the gang-rapes.

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The crimes, the suit alleges, “were considered a 'bonding' experience for the football players” and says that “members of the Baylors football team had already developed a system of hazing their freshman recruits by having them bring or invite freshman females to house parties hosted by members of the football team. At these parties, the girls would be drugged and gang raped, or in the words of the football players, 'trains' would be run on the girls,” according to NPR.

The anonymous filer of the lawsuit also accused the football players of holding dogfights at their football parties, which is considered a felony offense in the U.S.

The lawsuit accuses the university of failing to investigate, saying that when the mother of “Jane Doe,” who filed the lawsuit, gave a list of names to the assistant coach, the coach decided it was a “gray area” after the players told him they were just “fooling around.”

The suit also alleges that a culture of rape was woven into the recruiting efforts of the Big 12 Conference football team. Allegedly, coaching staff would arrange for “women to have sex with recruits on their official campus visits.”

At the time of the alleged crimes, Art Briles was the head football coach of the university's team. Briles, along with former university President Kenn Starr were removed from their positions following numerous sexual assault allegations against football players.

This is the second such lawsuit against Baylor this year, with an “Elizabeth Doe” filing suit against the football team for gang-rape perpetrated by more than 30 Baylor players that occurred in 2014, according to NPR.