Baylor: Former Assistant Claims Breach

Former Assistant Claims Breach: Abar Rouse, the former Baylor assistant coach who brought down the scandal-plagued Dave Bliss era at Baylor, is now suing his attorney, claiming a violation of attorney-client privilege. Rouse, now an assistant coach at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, alleges that Waco attorney LaNelle McNamara violated their compact by releasing copies of his audio recordings to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. In the summer of 2003, Rouse secretly recorded Bliss telling some players to falsely portray Dennehy as a drug dealer. At that time Dennehy had been missing for five weeks, and teammate Carlton Dotson was being questioned in Maryland regarding his disappearance. Bliss resigned two weeks later, after Dennehy’s body was found outside Waco. New head coach Scott Drew did not retain Rouse for his coaching staff. Last month, Dotson pleaded guilty to killing Dennehy and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Rouse alleges that McNamara acted negligently and is seeking $1.5 million in damages. Since the incident, Rouse has lost income and has had difficulty getting coaching positions because of his alleged reputation as a snitch. [8/10/05]