Talk of Briles job sparks ire in Texas

Disgraced former Baylor head coach Art Briles, who was briefly hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season, has seen another potential employment opportunity met by vocal opposition.

According to online reports that surfaced last week, Briles was being floated as a potential candidate for a position coaching high school in Waco, Texas. There was, however, a swift negative reaction to the idea online.

“There’s no way this Art Briles rumor is true? You have to be a Wacko to hire him as a Waco High School Head Coach,” radio host Orlando Alzugaray said on Twitter.

“Waco High congrats !!!! You have sold your soul to the devil. Hiring Art Briles is about as disgusting as it gets. Can you imagine what the victim’s parents are thinking. Truly disappointed,” Kyle Harmon wrote.

Last August, the Ticats were the subject of widespread criticism after hiring Briles as an offensive assistant to head coach June Jones. Briles was fired as the head coach of Baylor University in May 2016 after an investigation discovered the school mishandled numerous sexual assault allegations, including some against football players and that “football personnel chose not to report sexual violence and dating violence.”

One former player is serving a 20-year sentence for sexual assault and the school is still facing a number of lawsuits related to the scandal, though it recently settled one with a former female student who reported being gang-raped by up to eight Baylor football players in 2012 while Briles was in charge.

Ticats team owner Bob Young and CEO Scott Mitchell both apologized for hiring Briles, an offer that was rescinded the next day following an outcry from fans and an intervention by the CFL.

After negative reaction to the recent Briles rumour, the athletic director at the Waco school said he was never actually a candidate but confirmed there were discussions.

“Art Briles was never a candidate for the head coaching job. He never actually applied,” reporter Jessica Morrey wrote on Twitter. “They just had an informal conversation.”