Ex-Baylor coach Art Briles returning to college football at Division II Eastern New Mexico, per report
After leaving Baylor in disgrace, Art Briles hasn't coached at the college level since 2016
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Former Baylor coach Art Briles will be named the new head football coach at Division II Eastern New Mexico, making his return to college football for the first time since 2016, per ESPN. Briles, who led Baylor from 2008-15, was suspended and subsequently fired after eight seasons following an independent investigation into Baylor's handling of sexual assault allegations during his tenure.
Under Briles, Baylor went 65-37 with its first two Big 12 championships and New Year's Six/BCS bowl berths in program history. He also helped develop former first-round pick Robert Griffin III into a Heisman winner with record-setting numbers. Since his exit from Baylor, Briles has still been around the game, including coaching stints for Guelfi Firenze in the Italian Football League and at Mount Vernon (Texas) High School.
Briles was announced as new offensive coordinator at Grambling State in February 2022, but resigned soon thereafter following widespread criticism. Five years earlier, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League tried to hire Briles, but backlash led to them pulling the offer.
At Baylor, Briles' ousting came after a review by Pepper Hamilton LLP found that he and his staff failed to properly handle Title IX issues on his team. Athletic director Ian McCaw and university president Ken Starr also resigned due to the scandal.
An NCAA infractions panel ruled in August 2021 that Briles was not guilty of any NCAA violations. However, the panel concluded that Briles "failed to meet even the most basic expectations of how a person should react to the kind of conduct at issue in this case."
A federal judge ruled in 2023 that Briles was not negligent in a case involving a female Baylor student, who said she was physically assaulted by a football player during his tenure. Briles received a $15.1 million settlement from Baylor and later apologized for what happened under his watch.
In 2023 while he was an assistant at Oklahoma, now-Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby -- Briles' son-in-law -- apologized for allowing him on the field after a game. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and athletic director Joe Castiglione were not notified that Briles was on the field until after it happened.
