Showtime Networks has released an exclusive clip from the anticipated feature-length documentary “Disgraced,” featuring former Baylor University men’s basketball assistant coach Abar Rouse and secret audio recordings of former head coach Dave Bliss. The audio recordings in the film, believed to be the most extensive release from the infamous tapes, reveal Bliss’ plan to create “reasonable doubt” in the 2003 NCAA rules violation investigation.
“There’s nobody right now that can say that we paid Pat Dennehy because he’s dead,” said Bliss in the recordings from 2003. “Okay. So what we have to do is create the reasonable doubt.”
“Disgraced” is a comprehensive account of the murder of Baylor basketball star Patrick Dennehy and the ensuing attempted cover up of NCAA rules violations that rocked the Baptist university in Waco, Texas. 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 is a complex story, told through powerful first-person accounts, about both a senseless murder and an attempted cover-up of NCAA rule violations that still reverberate within Baylor University and collegiate athletics to this day,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Showtime Sports. “‘Disgraced’ is yet another provocative, compelling and culturally relevant documentary delivered with the inside perspective that has become the hallmark of unscripted programming from Showtime Sports.”
Recruited by Coach Bliss, Dennehy was a standout player with a bright future until the 6-foot-10 forward went missing under a set of bizarre circumstances. The murder and then the attempted cover-up of improper payments to players rocked the Baptist university in Waco, Texas. Ultimately, Dotson pled guilty and the university and Bliss were cited for multiple NCAA rule violations. Bliss essentially was ousted from NCAA Basketball for 10 years.
In contemplating his involvement in the attempted cover-up, his 2003 resignation and his religious faith, Bliss said, “A question that a man always has to ask himself when he goes through something like I went through, are you in a better spot than you were before? Was it worth it? And the answer to me is yes.”
Bliss recently returned to coaching at Southwestern Christian University in Oklahoma competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Directed by Pat Kondelis, “Disgraced” is produced by Bat Bridge Entertainment. It is the latest in an expansive lineup of unscripted programming from Showtime Sports.
The film, which will make its world premiere at the 2017 South By Southwest film festival earlier this month, will premiere on Showtime on March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Immediately below is an exclusive clip from the anticipated documentary featuring former assistant coach Abar Rouse and secret audio recordings of former head coach Dave Bliss. The audio recordings in the film, believed to be the most extensive release from the infamous tapes, reveal Bliss’ plan to create “reasonable doubt” in the 2003 NCAA rules violation investigation.
Underneath the clip, check out a trailer for the upcoming documentary:
And here’s the documentary’s trailer:
