Former Baylor President Ken Starr Resigns as School Chancellor

Starr to remain on staff as law professor

Ken Starr won't be the chancellor at Baylor after all.

Starr, who was demoted the same day head football coach Art Briles was suspended with the intent to terminate following the university's handling of sexual assault complaints against football players, has resigned.

Starr told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" during an interview broadcast Wednesday that he didn't know about the allegations of sexual assault involving members of Baylor's vaunted football program, but that he "willingly accepted responsibility."

He said he'll continue to teach at Baylor's law school.

School regents had allowed him to stay as chancellor for external fundraising.

Baylor's board of regents later issued the following statement saying they accepted Starr's resignation and thanked him for his years of service.

The comprehensive investigation by Pepper Hamilton and the subsequent Findings of Fact fully and openly outlined systemic failures across the University regarding Title IX policies, procedures and University personnel. As we move forward, we will continue to take the actions that progress the university and its leadership toward an environment of resolute accountability and responsibility as we relentlessly pursue the mission of Baylor University.

We recognize this is a tumultuous time for Baylor, most importantly for our current and former students and victims of sexual assault. We were horrified by what we learned from the investigation and again express our public acknowledgment and deepest apologies. The decisions made, and the actions we have taken, will ensure there is no room for deflection of responsibility or diminishing the experiences of the victims. We will continue to protect any details that may compromise the privacy of these individuals.

Starr asked a law firm last year to review Baylor's handling of sexual assault cases following allegations that the school mishandled several cases in which football players were accused of attacking women.

Among the firm's findings was that football coaches and athletics administrators at the school in the central Texas city of Waco had run their own improper investigations into rape claims and that in some cases, they chose not to report such allegations to an administrator outside of athletics.

By running their own "untrained" investigations and meeting directly with a complainant, football staff "improperly discredited" complainants claims and "denied them a right to a fair, impartial and informed investigation."

Since ordering the investigation last year, Starr had been mostly silent amid the criticism. The former prosecutor took over as the university's president in 2010, about a decade after he investigated former President Clinton's sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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