You know, they say in the PR business that if there’s news you have to release when people aren’t paying attention — at least you hope they aren’t — it’s late Friday. Even better, late Friday on a holiday weekend.
That being said, I don’t think there’s late Friday enough to bury a news dump like this one.
The first thing you notice is that Briles is described as someone who “coached at three Texas universities” without, you know, actually mentioning Baylor by name.
There are so many cringeworthy quotes in that announcement that you wonder who thought it was a good idea to let people speak. Start with the man himself:
“High school football is a Texas institution. As a coach, it’s my first love. You’ll make no bigger impact in this world than when you shape the lives of young people — one practice, one game, and one life at a time.”
Oh, hells yeah.
His new boss is all into shaping, too.
“We are pleased to welcome Coach Briles back home to Texas,” he said. “He brings with him a wealth of not only football experience but also life experience. He is passionate about investing in the lives of young people and helping them to succeed both on the field and in life. After a thorough due diligence process and several earnest conversations, we believe our students will benefit greatly from his skills and experience.”
How people can say shit like this with a straight face is beyond me. Still, I have to say Grant Teaff, who once was the Executive Director of the American Football Coaches Association and — get this — supervisor of the association’s Ethics Committee, wins the holiday weekend with this beaut:
“I have known Art Briles for over 30 years as an extremely successful high school coach and through his years as a college coach,” he said. “I have observed him as a man, husband, father, grandfather, and as a coach, always forthright and stellar.”
He went on to say that Briles never incurred a single recruiting infraction during his time at the collegiate level, as if that matters.
Nah, all that matters is winning… football games, that is.
Sounds like they’re all in for that. High school, sheesh.
I know that area well. The local community college is a customer of mine.
They are all in on having a winning football program. It’s a shame, as that area is one of the few I’d consider if I was forced to leave NW GA. The I-30 corridor NE of Dallas is very similar topography.
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Sadly not surprised by this.
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And to think that they passed up Probst….
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What is the complaint here? Are you saying he should never be able to support his family again?
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Surely you jest. Briles has millions. Family support isn’t the issue.
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No problem with mr. briles coaching….just not on this planet!
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when do you think he should be allowed to work again?
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I dunno. When do you think he should acknowledge responsibility for what happened on his watch at Baylor?
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if the University had good cause to fire Briles they could have done so with impunity and not paid him a dime. Yet they paid him millions and not one governing regent received so much as a reprimand. Lot of moving pieces there and i doubt if ever get to the bottom of it all.
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Cause wasn’t the issue.
Nobody at Baylor from the top down wanted to answer questions under oath in a deposition. That’s why Briles got paid.
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You’re presuming those in charge at Baylor have integrity and they didn’t.
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Lessons learned.
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A – recruiting violations isn’t really what disqualifies Art Briles from coaching high school or college ball so it’s a stupid thing to point out.
B – Baylor DID have recruiting violations while he was there. That comment isn’t even close to true. They got fined by the damn NCAA.
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Well, Norman Dale got a second chance as a high school coach. On another note, maybe this is an all boys school.
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Maybe he is thinking it will be easier – the high-school girls will be too naive to complain.
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I don’t know Art Briles personally, and don’t know if I would hire him either. He is, of course, over qualified as an Xs and Os coach for a HS head job. He did not sexually assault anyone, but showed horrendous judgement in not stepping in, and up, with what he was aware of at Baylor. That would probably be a knockout factor as judgement and integrity are major points for me.
But it is fair to ask, is bad judgement a life sentence to you? Has he learned a lesson over the last 4-5 years since? None of us sat in an interview with him and heard the questions and answers so the amount of certainty of any position expressed is in question. I will say that the PR question is an issue, even if someone felt strongly about 2nd chances and his sincerity about newly felt sensitivity. But given the way we sentence, and forgive, far greater misdeeds in this country makes me feel Briles is being looked at differently than so many others that get an easier pass so I feel to ridicule it as if there is only one possible outcome is hypocritical. Bottom line, I doubt I would have made the same decision, but I feel there are much bigger issues to get so riled up about.
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I’m going to outsource part of my response to this:
For you to analogize Briles’ situation to a criminal sentence is offensive to me. He has never appeared in a court of law to answer for anything, hasn’t been sentenced, hasn’t served a day in jail. He hasn’t lost his civil rights. He is free to travel as he sees fit. He has received millions in settlement from Baylor which will allow him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. That’s some “life sentence”, as you put it.
He has also failed to acknowledge his shortcomings in public.
This is someone who has no business mentoring kids. That you seem to feel he’s earned another chance to do so says something very disappointing about yourself, Mac.
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I didn’t say he deserved the job, and admitted I, like you, didn’t know all of what went on in that office, or organization. One thing I am very confident of, in the end my ethics would trump yours. I just don’t waiver on right or wrong when I know the facts.
Nothing about my opinion is disappointing to anyone except those who feel they have a better grasp of the entire situation, and I don’t feel that person is on this blog. As I said, I doubt I would have made the same decision. What I do know is that your passion on many issues clouds your judgement as you pound and pound your position from a soap box.
Your blog, certainly your right to determine subjects, and take whatever position you feel is right; but over the years you have gone from facilitating discussions from a balanced view to ridiculing those who don’t accept your position. And that is disappointing. (BTW, all misdeeds are not criminal, some are, but granting/not granting 2nd chances seem to fall to the side of the table people are sitting on.
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Ouch!
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No, you didn’t say he deserved the job, but you imply that at some point in time he deserves sympathy for serving what you call a “life sentence”.
Mac, you and I both know that but for winning a bunch of games at Houston and Baylor, nobody would give Art Briles the time of day now. The reason he is being welcomed with open arms at Mt. Vernon is because he wins games, pure and simple. Part and parcel of that is his enabling kids who sexually assault women because of the simple fact that they’re good at football. For someone who routinely pontificates about the societal problems of kids’ overlarge sense of entitlement, I would think this would be a deal breaker for you, but apparently my editorializing generates more criticism from you than does Briles’ enabling. Those are some ethics you’re proud of.
By the way, all I “pounded” about here was the hypocrisy of the comments made by everyone in the press release. Whether Briles works or not isn’t something I have any control over and, as such, it’s a waste of time for me to opine otherwise.
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That was some strong ass pimp hand right there!
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Shocked a man of Grant Teaff’s integrity would go there but then here we are. Sad day for Texas.
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