Violated: Expoosing Rape at Baylor University Amid College Football's Sexual Assault Crisis

By Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach

CW: sexual violence and assault

In Violated, two ESPN investigative reporters provide a shocking narrative of sexual crimes committed against women—and a university's culture that kept those crimes quiet. 

Throughout its history, Baylor University has presented itself as something special. As the world's largest Baptist university, it was unabashedly Christian. During the last several years, however, Baylor officials were hiding a dark secret: Female student were being sexually assaulted at an alarming rate. Baylor did little to help victims, and their assailants rarely faced discipline. 

Finally, after two high-profile criminal cases involving football players, an examination of Baylor's handling of sexual assault allegations led to the unprecedented ouster of its president, athletics director, and highly successful football coach. 

For years, campuses nationwide have been criticized for how they respond to sexual violence. But Baylor stands out. A culture reigned in which people believed that any sex, or violent rape, simply "doesn't happen here." Yet it was happening. Many people within Baylor knew. And they chose not to act. 

Paula Lavigne and Mark Schlabach weave together the complex—and at times contradictory—narrative of how a football program ascending in national prominence came crashing down amid the stories of women coming forward describing their assaults and a university system they found indifferent to their pain.