According to a press release by the university, Baylor has fired Coach Art Briles, demoted President Ken Starr (although there were erroneous reports claiming him to be fired) and sanctioned Athletic Director Ian McCaw amid heinous off-the-field issues with players at their football program.
With a 65-37 record, 32-7 in the last 3 years along with 2 Big XII titles, Briles is by far the most successful coach in Baylor Bear history, having built the program from cellar-dweller into one of the best programs in the country.
Reports of numerous cases of sexual assault committed by Baylor football players coupled with reports of the University’s top-brass’ inaction are every bit the reason why Briles and the bunch were either fired or reassigned.
From the press release:
There are significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of student athlete misconduct.
Over the course of their review, Pepper investigated the University’s response to reports of a sexual assault involving multiple football players. The football program and Athletics department leadership failed to take appropriate action in response to these reports.
“We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus. This investigation revealed the University’s mishandling of reports in what should have been a supportive, responsive and caring environment for students,” said Richard Willis, chair of the Baylor Board of Regents. “The depth to which these acts occurred shocked and outraged us. Our students and their families deserve more, and we have committed our full attention to improving our processes, establishing accountability and ensuring appropriate actions are taken to support former, current and future students.”
It’s hard to argue that Briles WASN’T complicit in perpetuating a culture to where consequences of sexual assault were non-existent if you were a football player, but I doubt any AD or alumni group will bat an eye when they bring him on board.
Chances are, Briles will sit out 2016 and probably fill up the LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, or Auburn vacancies that will most likely be open by 2017.
