TEXAS
Liberal America
By Darrell Lucus on June 13, 2016
In case you missed it, two weeks ago Baylor University announced it was firing head football coach Art Briles in the wake of overwhelming evidence that his program had utterly mishandled allegations that players had raped and sexually assaulted women. Well, a flurry of activity on Monday revealed just how far gone Baylor’s football culture had become. A small, misguided, and mind-blowingly stupid cabal of Baylor donors has been angling to bring Briles back as head coach.
When the Baylor Board of Regents announced that Briles was out, it officially characterized the move as an indefinite suspension with intent to terminate him as soon as it was legally possible to do so. However, USA Today reported that a small minority of Baylor donors are pushing for a compromise–have Briles sit out the 2016 season and allow him to return in 2017. According to KCEN-TV in Waco, some Baylor players have been briefed on the proposal.
However, according to USA Today, such moves are “unlikely to result in any action.” There’s very good reason to think this is a wasted effort. The findings of fact from an independent investigation into Baylor’s response to sexual assault so unnerved university officials that they immediately forwarded the report to the NCAA and Big 12 Conference. Bringing back a coach who, at best, was disengaged from how disciplinary issues were handled wouldn’t exactly allow Baylor to look good with the NCAA, and would all but assure heavy sanctions.
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