AUSTIN, Texas -- Baylor University says a former athletic director's claims that the school used black football players as scapegoats to cover up a school-wide sexual assault scandal are bizarre and "blatantly false."

The Waco Tribune-Herald reports the school responded in court filings Thursday to claims Ian McCaw made during a recent deposition in a lawsuit against the school. The lawsuit was filed two years ago by 10 women who allege Baylor mishandled their sexual assault allegations.

The university says the lawsuit has been overtaken by conspiracy theories, unsubstantiated allegations and "rank speculation."

Baylor was engulfed in a sexual assault scandal surrounding its football team in 2016, ultimately resulting  in the firing of then-football coach Art Briles and the demotion of the university's president, Ken Starr. McCaw was also disciplined and later resigned.