Art Briles

2022 - 2 - 25

The real facts behind Grambling State's indefensible Art Briles hire (ESPN)

In bringing Art Briles to campus, Grambling State is sending a message that if winning comes with a moral or ethical cost, so be it.

It made him a titan, revered and honored, with awards named for him and a museum on the Grambling campus in his honor. There was both internal and public outcry that followed similar attempts to hire Briles in both the Canadian Football League in 2017 and at Southern Miss in 2019, leading to Briles not getting those jobs. His outrage clearly did nothing to deter those in charge of the hiring process. What feels different in this situation is not that Grambling State has given Briles another chance, as Scott said in defense of the hire. While Briles and his supporters have claimed exoneration because the NCAA's committee on infractions could not conclude that Baylor or Briles violated NCAA rules by failing to report allegations of sexual and interpersonal violence committed on the campus, that is a mere technicality. "But there's still a lawsuit pending against [Briles]. And ultimately, a jury is going to decide if he was negligent in the manner in which he ran his football team, which caused multiple women to be subjected to sexual assault and domestic violence. We felt it [was appropriate] to give him a chance to really redeem himself after understanding where the facts lie," Scott said. Did anybody at Grambling reach out to anyone involved in the Baylor case beyond Briles himself, a man who has apologized, but never really taken full responsibility for his actions. "It's about all the people that enable, it's about all the people that dismiss, ignore, minimize, cover up. In addition, the findings "reflect significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor's football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of athlete misconduct." Furthermore, as a campus leader, the head coach is held to an even higher standard. In case Scott has not read up on the man he is welcoming into his university, let's get to some actual facts:

Grambling State's hire of fired Baylor coach Art Briles is a fresh stain ... (USA TODAY)

Art Briles should not be employed as a college football coach. Not if you believe character matters. Not if you believe leadership matters.

Jackson is familiar with Briles. He invited Briles to be a guest at a Cleveland Browns practice in 2016 while Jackson was Cleveland's coach. The letter, obtained by HBCUsports.com, lodged that Gallot was “the main contributor" to the football program's decline. "It kind of tells me everything I need to know about the decision-makers over there at Grambling and how they feel about sexual assault.” “He generally relied on the information provided to him by his staff and likewise relied on them to handle problem.” I'm going to get better,” Briles said then. “Art Briles needs to retire. “Second chances don’t have to include coaching football,” Tracy said. He didn’t sexually assault anyone.’ No, but he enabled that type of a culture," Tracy said. “Art Briles should not coach anywhere,” Tracy said. “A lot of people will say, ‘Well, he didn’t rape anyone. And an enabler like Briles often goes overlooked, she said. It’s a damaging message."

If Hue Jackson cared about HBCUs, he wouldn't have hired Art Briles (Deadspin)

Jackson is the latest 'celebrity' coach using HBCUs to remain relevant.

But, I pray that the university realizes that hiring Briles is a fireable offense and sends them both on their way. Jackson thought it was a good idea at the time to bring in Briles to help with the Browns offense when Jackson was the head coach in Cleveland. “I’m always looking for different ways of doing things. In 2019, a sorority graduate adviser who was also the executive assistant to the president at Fort Valley State University was indicted in a prostitution ring. When Hue Jackson was hired at Grambling he said he planned to stay “ until they kick me out.” I hope he meant that. And the decision to hire Briles is an unacceptable one given what’s happened at some HBCU campuses over the past few years. That was the day that Jackson proved that he will work with anybody to win football games. “I’ve gotten to know coach Briles, and he’s a tremendous offensive-minded football coach,’’ Jackson said about Briles in 2016. I try to take people for face value and I just know I’ve met him and have talked to him extensively and whatever’s happened at Baylor, I’m not condoning or him being here says that we condone anything.’’ I try not to do that with people. “I’m not a fan at all. I’m going to get better. I’m going to learn.

Art Briles: Grambling's Controversial Hiring Brings Questions, Doug ... (CalBearsMaven)

The addition of Briles to head coach Hue Jackson's coaching staff may help the Tigers win on the football field, but has it tainted the public's perception of ...

Why Grambling's hire of Art Briles is an insult of irreducible proportions (Touchdown Wire)

Grambling football chose to hire disgraced former Baylor head coach Art Briles as part of Hue Jackson's staff. Here's why that's wrong.

It’s bad enough that Briles is being grandfathered through the process, and it’s bad enough that the NCAA — an organization claiming to care about the safety and welfare of its students and “student-athletes” has turned a blind eye to Briles’ specific malfeasance in the context of Baylor’s more universal shortcomings. Grambling has made an unfortunate mistake, and the backlash will be the school’s to deal with. “The panel found that those instances of non-reporting did not constitute impermissible benefits to football student-athletes because of a campus-wide culture of nonreporting,” the NCAA said in a release. Briles’ offensive genius is the obvious reason why — Jackson clearly wants the best guy on his staff, and perhaps from a schematic perspective, Briles is that guy. “It’s hard to control what other people think,” Briles said in response to those who would criticize the hire. The situation for Black head and assistant coaches at the NCAA football level is just as bad, if not worse. Because the culture of non-reporting was not limited to cases involving student-athletes, the panel could not find that these instances resulted in impermissible benefits.” “I’m rooted in fact,” Grambling athletic director Trayvean Scott told ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “I know a lot of things are said and done. In 2019, former Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson tried to hire Briles as his offensive coordinator, but university president Rodney Bennett overruled the hire. To arrive at a different outcome would require the to ignore the rules the Association’s membership has adopted — rules under which the is required to adjudicate. Such an outcome would be antithetical to the integrity of the infractions process.” Art Briles does not belong in their company, but as of now, that’s exactly where Briles lives.

Art Briles Refuses To Go Away | Defector (Defector)

Six years after he was fired by Baylor University for his role in the creation of a football program that became synonymous with sexual assault, Art Briles ...