This story has been updated from a previous version.
UPDATE: Briles won't join Hue Jackson's staff, after all. He resigned Monday, according to Pete Thamel. Briles decision comes after days of public outcry and alumni backlash.
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
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Grambling has made an interesting — and controversial — hire for its offensive coordinator: Former Baylor head coach Art Briles.
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.
No one can question Briles' hiring from a football perspective. 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 his hiring by Grambling on Thursday, of course.
The Sporting News breaks down why Grambling hired Briles, his role in Baylor's sexual assault scandal and more.
Why did Grambling hire Art Briles as its offensive coordinator?
Grambling had several reasons to hire Briles. In regard to his past at Baylor, 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 also be 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.
Update: 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.
