After a great deal of public backlash, Grambling State is walking back on its hire of Art Briles. Last week Grambling hired the displaced former Baylor head coach as their offensive coordinator. However, Briles is no longer going to coach at the HBCU.
Briles “resignation” comes just hours after Grambling head coach Hue Jackson adamantly defended the hire.
“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,” Briles told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The college football world was taken aback by the hire. Many chastised Jackson and the university for hiring Briles. However, the most damaging criticism came from Grambling alumni and former head coach Doug Williams.
Williams asked why Grambling had to be a school to take a chance on Briles. Williams added he was done with the program as long as Jackson went ahead with the hire.
“I don’t know Art Briles; I’ve never met him in my life,” Williams said. “But the situation, nobody else would hire him for whatever reason. I don’t know why Grambling State had to go be the one to hire him, so I’m not a fan at all.”
There was no other way for the program to go after Williams’ fiery reaction. It’s undoubtedly a black eye for Jackson and Grambling. Yes, people are entitled to a second chance, but it’s hard for a college program to defend hiring Briles after the sexual assault investigation at Baylor that led to his firing and the athletic director resigning.
It’s a reason no other college program has hired Briles in the six years since he was dismissed from Baylor.
