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Phil Bennett does not want to be asked about all that happened during his tenure at Baylor.
The Arizona State defensive coordinator, who held the same position at Baylor from 2011 to 2016, has skated around questions regarding the university’s sexual assault scandal.
“I just know what I experienced there — that’s all I can talk about,” Bennett told ESPN. “I’m trying to move to the future. Right now, anything you say stirs it up.”
Bennett has not been named in any lawsuits or connected to any sort of institutional cover-up of the assaults. He has denied having prior knowledge of any sexual assaults or harassment perpetrated by football players.
An outside investigation, confirmed by university regents, found that 17 women had reported sexual or domestic assaults involving 19 Baylor athletes since 2011. A new lawsuit filed in January alleges at least 52 acts of were rape committed by 31 football players between 2011 and 2014.
Bennett has been a staunch defender of former coach Art Briles, who was fired in May.
“Art Briles is as fine a man as I’ve ever been around and I’ve done this 40 years,” Bennett said following Baylor’s Cactus Bowl win. “We didn’t have Title IX in place. It was a systematic failure.”
Bennett received a glowing letter of recommendation from Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades, which he then shared with Arizona State officials.
The letter was obtained by the Arizona Republic.
“Please know I truly appreciate your service to Baylor University,” Rhoades wrote. “You have been a key staff member with our football program and a valued person in the Baylor athletics family. In addition, special gratitude for the time you invested in our student-athletes developing them as people first and football players second.
“You have remained committed to the welfare of our football student-athletes and kept focused on coaching the 2016 football season. Though the media reports have been filled with numerous individual, program and institutional attacks, it is important to note you remained on our staff, and I have been given no information which would disqualify you from working at Baylor University.”
Arizona State maintains Bennett was “fully vetted” through the university’s human resources department.
nmoyle@express-news.net
Twitter: @NRmoyle
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