Baylor DE Sam Ukwuachu sentenced to 180 days in jail, 10 years probation

Baylor defensive end Sam Ukwuachu will serve 180 days in jail and 10 years probation for sexually assaulting a female Baylor student-athlete in 2013.

Ukwuachu was found guilty of sexual assault Thursday evening; sentencing occurred Friday evening.

After hearing hours of testimony and summations Friday, the jury took more than three hours to come back with a sentence of eight years of probation. However, the judge changed the sentence to 10 years probation, 180 days in county jail and 400 hours of community service.

After the sentencing, the victim spoke:

On Oct. 19, 2013, Ukwuachu raped a female soccer player after driving her to his apartment and forcing her to lie face down on his bed. The details of the assault were chronicled in a Texas Monthly piece released Thursday.

The woman, who was picked up from Ukwuachu’s home by a friend, did go to the hospital was an examined by a nurse who specializes in sexual assault. A rape kit was obtained. The victim also met with police. However, her case was shelved for months before it reached prosecutors, who decided to bring charges in June 2014.

Baylor University conducted its own investigation — an investigation so paltry that it was not allowed to be brought up during trial — and found no wrongdoing by Ukwuachu. Ukwuachu was never removed from the victim’s classes or tutoring sessions and she ultimately was forced to transfer.

Ukwuachu, a highly touted transfer from Boise State, had a history of abuse against women and was undergoing anger management classes, which all was made public during trial. It was the reason Boise State dimissed Ukwuachu from the program. On Friday, Baylor coach Art Briles said he had no knowledge of Ukwuachu’s habitual physical abuse against his girlfriend or the anger management classe, and that then-Boise State coach Chris Petersen never mentioned that when Ukwuachu transferred.

Petersen issued a statement Friday afternoon refuting Briles’ claims by saying he initiated contact with Briles to inform him of Ukwuachu’s transgressions.

Now that Ukwuachu’s sentencing is complete, the spotlight will undoubtedly move to Baylor and whether it knowingly or unknowingly allowed a student with a history of violence against women on its campus, which ultimately endangered the female student population.

Baylor did release a statement following the sentencing Friday evening stating that it would conduct a "comprehensive internal inquiry" into the Ukwuachu case.

For more Baylor news, visit SicEmSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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