After immediate and forceful backlash to the hiring of former Baylor head coach Art Briles as offensive coordinator at Grambling State University, it appears his tenure has already come to an end.
ESPN's Pete Thamel broke the new Monday evening on Twitter, adding a statement he obtained from Briles to the university.
In a statement obtained by ESPN, Briles thanked Grambling for the opportunity: "Unfortunately, I feel that my continued presence will be a distraction to you and your team, which is the last thing that I want. I have the utmost respect (for) the university, and your players." https://t.co/eFCcBxGf3r
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 28, 2022
Briles, of course, led the Bears from 2008 to 2015, where he compiled a 65-37 record and four double digit-win seasons in his last five years in Waco, Texas. All this while featuring offenses that torched opposing defenses.
There's no question that Briles had success of the football field, but he was fired in May 2016 amid a horrific sexual assault scandal in which the NCAA found he and his coaching staff ignored reports of players committing sexual assault for several years. As a result, he has not coached in college since — until last week's hiring by Grambling, of course.
What led to Art Briles' resignation?
There was a lot of outcry and dissension in the wake of the Briles announcement, but none had more impact than from former Grambling quarterback, coach Doug Williams, who slammed the school's hiring.
"I’m very, very disappointed in Grambling, I really am," Williams told The Washington Post after Briles' hiring. "I talked to (athletic director Trayveon Scott) a couple times. They knew where I stood, but they did it and if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine. I’m out.
"Oh, no. I can’t (support) that," Williams said. "If I support them, I condone it.”
Things seemingly came to a head Monday morning after head coach Hue Jackson's charitable cause, the Hue Jackson Foundation — whose listed purpose is to fight human trafficking — released a statement on Monday, Feb. 28, further explaining the Briles hire is based on principles of forgiveness, redemption and enlightenment.
The statement also noted how people can be "re-traumatized and re-victimized" by statements — seemingly in reference to the Baylor sexual assault scandal.
Pleas Read this statement. #forgiveness #redemption#enlightenment #GramFam pic.twitter.com/XWstabSdll
— HueJacksonFoundation (@HueJacksonFDN) February 25, 2022
It is unknown whether Grambling approved of the statement from Jackson's foundation.
Rather than respond to the key points made by Jackson's foundation asking for Briles' forgiveness, ESPN's Dan Murphy took a different approach, responding to the statement by pointing out the discrepancy between the money collected vs. the grants given.
The Hue Jackson Foundation collected $158,000 in 2019 (the most recent tax info available). It paid out $115,000 to its sole paid employee and spent another $15,000 on travel. It looks like they gave out roughly $4,000 in grants. https://t.co/cnR5AvWuP9
— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) February 28, 2022
The Hue Jackson Foundation responded to Murphy, which was promptly ratio'd on social media after many pointed out that Jackson's foundation may have admitted to committing money laundering, tax fraud or both.
What you failed to report is where that money came from. Hue Jackson was the LARGEST donor and he PERSONALLY donated over 75% of the funds, I personally donated from my salary back into the organization as well. Our records are clean!
— HueJacksonFoundation (@HueJacksonFDN) February 28, 2022
This is the latest controversy centered around Jackson after he claimed he was paid to tank while head coach of the Cleveland Browns, which he later walked back after pressure to clarify his comments.
Why did Grambling hire Art Briles as its offensive coordinator in the first place?
Grambling had several reasons to hire Briles. Grambling athletic director Trayvean Scott confirmed to ESPN that the program had hired the former Bears coach after conducting research into his past for roughly 10 days.
"I'm rooted in fact," Scott told ESPN's Pete Thamel. "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."
When pressed to address why Grambling felt comfortable hiring Briles when he hadn't coached in college since 2016, Scott had this to say:
"I think the guy just wants to coach and lead men," Scott said. "We're not talking about a perfect situation or devaluing things done in the past and how it has affected people. He's sympathetic and empathetic about what went on."
It's also worth noting that the NCAA, despite finding Briles guilty of ignoring several accusations of sexual assault by his players, was not found to have provided "impermissible benefits" to his athletes. That's because the problem was not limited solely to the football program, but throughout the university.
As such, Briles was not charged with failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance. He therefore did not receive any show-cause penalty.
Grambling's decision to hire Briles may have also been rooted in the fact that Grambling head coach Hue Jackson — who himself was hired by the school in December 2021 — briefly hired Briles as an offensive analyst in October 2016, when the former was still coach of the NFL's Cleveland Browns. To that end, Scott told ESPN that Jackson has autonomy when it comes to hires, and that he felt comfortable supporting his decision after the 10-day research period.
That decision may also be bolstered by the fact that Grambling was one of the worst offensive teams in the SWAC in 2021. Indeed, the Tigers ranked last in the league in touchdowns scored (22, five fewer than Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas Pine-Bluff), total points (203) and average points per game (16.9).
Conversely, Briles' offenses never averaged fewer than 31.2 points per game from 2010 to 2016, reaching as high as 52.4 points in 2013 and routinely 40-plus points per game in 2011-12 and '14-15.