Art Briles: ‘I’ve never done anything illegal, immoral or unethical’
Former Baylor coach Art Briles defended his reputation to reporters on Tuesday and said he plans to coach again in 2017.
Briles paid a visit to Texans practice and spoke to the media there about a potential return to football.
Briles lost his job in wake of a widespread sexual assault scandal, in which an investigation found the university administration and football program failed to take action on incidents involving multiple Baylor football players. He was the only coach fired in the fallout of the events, officially parting ways with the school in June.
“I’ve [coached] for 38 years, lived the right way 60 years of my life, never done anything illegal, immoral or unethical,” Briles said. “I think at the end of the day, all that will show itself, and I’m excited about coaching again, I really am. You know, if you lose your dog, all of a sudden you’re looking around hard for him. You’ll stay up late at night looking for him. I’ve lost my dog, my dog’s football, and I’m ready to go find him again.”
“I will coach in the 2017 season,” Briles said.
Asked if he had been contacted about opportunities, he added, “I’ve had some things going on.”
Briles also showed up at Dallas Cowboys training camp last week and said he was “dumbfounded” over his own firing.
Baylor hired Jim Grobe to replace Briles, though much of Briles’s staff returned after his firing.
Baylor president Ken Starr was demoted as a result of the scandal, while Ian McCaw resigned as athletic director. Starr is still with the school as a professor.
