Showtime just announced the upcoming release of Disgraced, a documentary focusing on the 2003 murder of Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy.
That’s a topic rife for reflection, as it remains one of the more horrifying sports stories of recent memory, up to and including the attempted coverup by then-coach Dave Bliss as he sought to avoid punishment for NCAA violations.
Via the release:
A presentation of Showtime Documentary Films and SHOWTIME Sports, DISGRACED examines the tragic events surrounding the 2003 murder of Dennehy, to which fellow teammate and friend Carlton Dotson pled guilty in the only known instance in the history of the NCAA where one student-athlete was convicted of murdering another. Through first-hand accounts from students, investigators, family and friends, DISGRACED calls into question the plea and conviction of Dotson.
The film also includes exclusive and revealing interviews with former head coach Dave Bliss, who directly addresses the attempted cover-up and secretly recorded statements he made in 2003 that implicated him in NCAA rule violations. The violations, revealed in part by whistle blower and then assistant coach Abar Rouse, ultimately led to Bliss’ resignation and a partial ban on NCAA play for the Baylor Bears basketball team.
This documentary couldn’t be more timely, of course, because here we are in 2017 with the Baylor athletic department mired in scandal after scandal after horrifying scandal. It’s almost as though there might be some kind of systemic problem there. (When something like the 2010 incident featuring a men’s basketball assistant threatening to have a recruit deported if the recruit didn’t commit to Baylor is one of the more innocent stories, that’s not good.)
So this comes at a very opportune time for the filmmakers, given the present-day relevance. The film is set to premiere at SXSW in March, and then debut on Showtime March 31st at 9 PM ET. (That’s the night before the Final Four.)
The release also noted this:
Bliss recently returned to coaching at Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
What does a coach have to do to never be allowed to coach again?
