The Baylor football program has come under intense scrutiny over the last few months—and for good reason. The school mishandled a series of sexual assault allegations, and things were apparently so bad at the school that Baylor head coach Art Briles got fired in May and Baylor President Ken Starr got demoted before eventually stepping down from his position.
Now, as the program attempts to rebuild under interim coach Jim Grobe, Baylor football is facing yet another scandal as a very disturbing video of sophomore wide receiver Ishmael Zamora beating his Rottweiler with a belt before kicking it and cursing at it for going to the bathroom in his house has emerged. The short clip—which was unearthed by KXXV in Waco, Texas on Thursday—was originally shared on Snapchat in June by one of Zamora's teammates along with the caption, "Don't shit in the house no more." Former Baylor student Shelby Ball saw the clip and didn't hesitate to reach out to Animal Control and the Baylor Police Department to tell them what she had seen.
"I went to authorities probably about two hours after I saw the video," she told KXXV. "Dogs can’t speak for themselves...I felt like something needed to be done."
Zamora was eventually charged with a Class C misdemeanor and given a citation that could end up costing him $500. He released a short statement to KXXV and explained his actions in the video. "I lost my temper trying to discipline him," he said. "I’ve been through training with a dog trainer to help me learn new potty training tips."
It's a terrible situation to say the least, but Baylor hasn't gotten around to dealing with Zamora yet. When asked about possible disciplinary action on Friday, Grobe said the school is going to punish the player, but no punishment has been handed out and Zamora continues to practice with the team.
Now that this video is out, though, you can probably expect that to change soon.
