Amid Reports of Ken Starr's Firing, Baylor Says Announcement Soon on Sexual Assault Review

After multiple media reports said that Baylor University President Ken Starr — the former lawyer who investigated President Bill Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky — had been fired, the university said it would not respond until next month.

Saying it would not respond to rumors or speculations based on "unnamed sources," the university said it will make an announcement June 3 once the Board of Regents finishes reviewing the findings of an internal inquiry by a law firm on how the school handled incidents of sexual assault. The university received the results from Pepper Hamilton law firm May 13.

The country's largest Baptist university said board members will be "guided by their faith as they make significant decisions for the welfare of Baylor students."

Baylor issued the following statement amid reports of Starr's firing.

Scout's HornsDigest.com and Geoff Ketchum of OrangeBloods.com have reported that Starr has been fired.

The review was ordered by the university in September 2015 when football player Sam Ukwuachu was sentenced for sexually assaulting a freshman soccer player. Questions remained as to how much Baylor knew about Ukwuachu's past. His former girlfriend testified at the trial that he had been violently abusive with her when he played at Boise State.

Since then, further instances of mishandling of sexual assault cases arose at Baylor. In February, former student Jasmin Hernandez filed a lawsuit that claimed school officials ignored her when she attempted to report a sexual assault against by then-football player Tevin Elliot.

As recently as last Thursday, police documents obtained by ESPN showed allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence involving several football players that some officials, including coaches, knew about. However, the players were not disciplined.

Starr is not the only official whose status at the university was called into question amid the findings. Citing sources, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the Board of Regents indicated firing head football coach Art Briles was on the table. However, the paper reported the board is expected to keep Briles.

Starr rose to prominence as independent counsel to the White House, where he concluded Clinton had committed perjury when he denied having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky in a sworn testimony. The conclusion eventually led to Clinton's impeachment.

At a recent panel discussion on the presidency in Philadelphia, Starr changed his tune on Clinton, calling him, “the most gifted politician of the baby boomer generation.”

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