Baylor's administration is reportedly considering a reversal of last month's decision to dismiss football coach Art Briles in the wake of the Pepper Hamilton report, which revealed the mishandling of sexual assault allegations in the football program and alleged major issues with the culture around Waco, Texas.
Briles, who was technically suspended with the intent to terminate his employment, was not the only one to fall at Baylor.
University president Kenneth Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw both resigned and former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe was installed as the new coach. With the leadership in flux, the school's board of regents is reportedly considering ways to bring Briles back to the sideline.
Can confirm report by @ChipBrownHD that Baylor's Board of Regents are considering a one-year suspension for football coach Art Briles.
— Jason King (@JasonKingBR) June 13, 2016
USA Today's Dan Wolken, via a source who spoke anonymously, reported that such a decision is "unlikely" but there is "a faction of voices within the school's Board of Regents still supporting Briles and urging the school to bring him back."
There are still several steps before Briles will be able to coach again in college football. If the school's leadership does vote in favor of suspended Briles, he'd still have to agree to whatever terms are presented after already starting the legal process of his exit. The Baylor coach has stepped carefully with his public statements and doesn't offer much in terms of explanation or clarification, which seems intentional so he can leave as many doors open as possible.
"Keep in mind, the complete scope of what happened here has not been disclosed and unfortunately at this time I am contractually obligated to remain silent on the matter," Briles said earlier this month in a statement released to KWTX-10 in Waco. "The report prepared by Pepper Hamilton, the law firm hired and paid for by Baylor's Board of Regents, has not been shared with me directly, despite my full cooperation with the investigation. I can only assume that the report, which is not independent, supports the conclusions that the Board has already drawn."
Again, first Baylor has to hold this vote and vote in favor or suspending Briles, but if it happens, there will be a lot more questions to answer regarding the issues raised by the Pepper Hamilton report before he coaches another game for the Bears.
