Baylor Offers Brief Response to Lawsuit

WACO (AP/Staff) — Baylor University is offering a brief response to a lawsuit against the school involving a Mt. Pleasant High School graduate and former football player convicted of rape. The litigation claims the university’s alleged lack of action violated Title IX. Our news partner KETK obtained a statement from Baylor that reads, “We encourage students to come forward and we have a fully staffed Title IX office that receives and resolves those reports. The university will respond to the lawsuit in an appropriate manner after it has had the opportunity to review the complaint.”

The suit, announced Thursday, contends the school was “deliberately indifferent” to rape allegations against Tevin Elliott (pictured). The litigation alleges that the largest Baptist school in the country failed to act against Elliott despite receiving six complaints from women claiming he assaulted them. The plaintiff is Jasmin Hernandez of Orange County, California, whom Elliott was convicted in 2014 of sexually assaulting. He’s serving a 20-year sentence. Hernandez’s attorney says Hernandez wants to speak publicly to draw attention to the case. Among Hernandez’s allegations are that players were recruited without regard to the harm they might cause others.