Will Muschamp “wouldn’t touch” Sam Ukwuachu in 2013

Florida expressed interest in Sam Ukwuachu as a transfer in May 2013, but the player’s troubled past was shared in a conversation with a Boise State athletic department employee, leading to then-coach Will Muschamp to quickly nix the idea.

Pearland’s Tony Heath said Boise State coaches did not mention Ukwuachu’s allegedly violent relationship with an ex-girlfriend when he spoke with them in 2013.

Sam Ukwuachu has been sentenced to 180 days behind bars and 10 years probation after being found guilty of rape.

Following the conviction of defensive end Sam Ukwuachu on sexual assault charges, Baylor President Ken Starr on Friday called for a “comprehensive internal inquiry into the circumstances associated with the case and the conduct of the offices involved”. Heath says he was contacted by Baylor assistants and he did talk with Briles about Ukwuachu. “I was never told by Boise State he was violent toward females”, Heath said.

“We’ve seen time and time again in the NFL where people with checkered pasts have been shuffled around from team to team and their past, kind of buried in an effort to continue to win, so in this case when we see it happen in a University that prides itself as being a Christian institution, I think it’s even a little bit harder of a blow for the community”, said Mitchell. However, many feel that this information was known, and that it was Ukwuachu’s old coaches who should have come forward with said information in order to prevent something like this from happening. “I was told Sam had run into Strike Three, but if he left they’d give him good recommendation; it wasn’t going to work out at Boise State“, Heath said.

In a Sunday interview, Heath, Ukwuachu’s high school coach, went on to tell host David Smoak that Boise State was concerned with Ukwuachu depression and violence against himself. He transferred in 2013 after being dismissed for unspecified reasons, but never played for Baylor.

Just weeks after he was dismissed, Ukwuachu transferred to Baylor to play football there, though Boise State declined to support any waivers that would help the player get back on the field. Then-Broncos coach Chris Petersen says he “thoroughly apprised” Briles of Ukwuachu’s behavior and Briles claims Petersen “did not disclose that there had been violence toward women” in their discussion.

He transferred to Baylor but never played for the Bears.