Briles was fired by Baylor in May 2016 after an exterior investigation into accusations of sexual assault discovered college and soccer program directors didn’t adequately deal with these allegations.
A “finding of fact” report by regulation agency Pepper Hamilton discovered that “in some cases, the University failed to take action to identify and eliminate a potential hostile environment, prevent its recurrence or address its effects.” The report discovered that 17 ladies reported incidents of sexual assault or sexual violence involving 19 soccer gamers and that Briles was knowledgeable of not less than considered one of them however didn’t report it to native authorities, as did different directors.
“Let me be clear: I did not cover up any sexual violence,” Briles wrote in an open letter in 2017. “I had no contact with anyone that claimed to be a victim of sexual or domestic assault. Anyone well-versed in my work as a coach knows that I strove to promote excellence, but never at the sacrifice of safety for anyone.”
In August, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions stated it couldn’t conclude that Baylor violated NCAA guidelines with its actions concerning the sexual assault allegations, however it put the varsity on 4 years of probation, amongst different punishment, for different violations that occurred between 2011 and 2016, together with recruiting infractions and impermissible advantages offered to a participant.
Briles, 66, compiled a 65-37 document over eight seasons at Baylor and led this system to 2 Big 12 championships. In 2017, he was virtually named an assistant coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League earlier than the league stepped in and the group reversed course. Southern Mississippi contemplating hiring him as its offensive coordinator in 2019 earlier than college directors overruled the transfer after public backlash.
After spending a 12 months teaching in Italy, Briles was employed by Mount Vernon High in Texas, serving as its head coach in 2019 and 2020. At the time of Briles’s hiring, the superintendent of the Mount Vernon Independent School District stated he had been vetted, however that course of didn’t embody chatting with any of the victims at Baylor or to NCAA officers.
Briles was the coach on the University of Houston from 2003 to 2007 earlier than taking up at Baylor in 2008. Jackson and Briles have some historical past — Jackson introduced Briles in as a visitor to assist the Browns’ offensive teaching workers in 2016, a couple of months after he had been fired by Baylor.
“I’m rooted in fact,” Grambling State Athletic Director Trayvean Scott instructed ESPN on Thursday. “I know a lot of things are said and done. We felt it [was appropriate] to give him a chance to really redeem himself after understanding where the facts lie.”
