The Baylor Board of Regents did the right thing by recommending that Art Briles be terminated after receiving Pepper Hamilton’s findings of fact. By dismissing an extremely successful head coach – the face of the Bear program – the board members let the whole world know the school cares more about the well-being of students than winning football games.
Unfortunately, that trend may not continue. According to this tweet from Yahoo! Sports’ Pat Forde, the school is expected to name defensive coordinator Phil Bennett as the interim head coach:
Baylor expected to make defensive coordinator Phil Bennett interim coach, per source. Kendall Briles to remain on staff as of now.
— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) May 26, 2016
That cannot happen. If it does, the school would undo what it did Thursday.
Before I delve into the reasons why I feel this way, let’s be clear about something: My opinion isn’t influenced by any direct knowledge of any wrongdoing, nor is it based on how I personally feel about any of these coaches. My decision process is shaped only by what I read in the Baylor Board of Regents findings of fact, which I would encourage everyone to read.
Based on that report, it’s very clear that every coach on the current staff must be let go immediately. Sure, the finding of fact doesn’t name names, but it does paint a very negative picture of the Bears’ staff.
What do I mean by negative? Although the word “coaches” appears only six times in the report, here are a few examples of what it concluded (emphasis mine):
- “In certain instances, including reports of a sexual assault by multiple football players, athletics and football personnel affirmatively chose not to report sexual violence and dating violence to an appropriate administrator outside of athletics. In those instances, football coaches or staff met directly with a complainant and/or a parent of a complainant and did not report the misconduct.” – Page 10
- “In some instances, the football program dismissed players for unspecified team violations and assisted them in transferring to other schools. As a result, some football coaches and staff abdicated responsibilities under Title IX and Clery; to student welfare; to the health and safety of complainants; and to Baylor’s institutional values.” – Page 11
- “Football coaches and staff took affirmative steps to maintain internal control over discipline of players and to actively divert cases from the student conduct or criminal processes. In some cases, football coaches and staff had inappropriate involvement in disciplinary and criminal matters or engaged in improper conduct that reinforced an overall perception that football was above the rules, and that there was no culture of accountability for misconduct.” – Page 11
What do all those comments have in common? They all say “football coaches” rather than “a coach.”
In other words, the report suggests that more than one coach was involved.
That distinction is important. If Briles was the only person accused of wrongdoing, there’d be no reason to let anyone else go. However, since the report makes it clear that more than one football coach was involved, it’s time to get rid of the entire staff, and turn the page to the next chapter in Baylor football history. Keeping anyone who was even remotely involved with the scandal in any capacity would only keep the tragedy alive, and would serve as a slap in the face to the alleged victims.
It’s been suggested in college football circles that Baylor must keep its staff in place, because it’s too close to the start of the season, which kicks off in less than 100 days.
With all due respect, these people couldn’t be more wrong. In order for the school to move forward, it must get rid of everything and everyone associated with this scandal. If that means taking a step backward in the standings to break in a new coaching staff, so be it. I’m sure that the Baylor Board of Regents would rather lose with integrity than win under a cloud of suspicion.
It certainly made that point Thursday!
