From Texas to Canada: A Baylor Update

UPDATE: The Hamilton Tiger Cats rescinded their offer to  Briles. 

Meaning to post an update on what has been happening at Baylor in recent weeks, I was finally "inspired" by the news that former head football coach Art Briles has landed another coaching job. And all I have to say is Oh, Canada*, because Briles is now coaching in the Canadian Football League.

His title is Assistant Head Coach Offence for the Hamilton Tiger Cats.

First, I am not surprised he got another job. I am surprised it is in Canada. I thought someone in the US would hire him--probably an NFL franchise. Because what does it say about your reputation as it relates to sexual assault when no one in the NFL wants you? What remains to be seen is if this is the start of his redemption tour. Will he return to football in the US in a few years? Will he eventually be let back into intercollegiate football's ranks? Briles himself said (through his attorney) that he will be back coaching college football next year.

It is also curious that he took the CFL job given that--again according to his attorney--was offered positions by college teams. Why leave the country and coach in an lesser known league?

In news that was a little less prominent, another former Bear found a new home. Trayvon Blanchard is now playing at Texas A&M University-Commerce. He had played three seasons at Baylor before being suspended for his alleged involvement in a sexual assault. The investigation into that incident is ongoing according to his attorney. TAMU-Commerce accepted Blanchard, who will be on the field this season, even after his most recent arrest (last month) for misdemeanor assault/family violence. The university does not appear to be overly concerned with these things.Their statement:

"We welcome Travon Blanchard to our Lion Athletics family. As with any transfer, we thoroughly investigate circumstances and communicate with a wide net. We are confident that Travon walking on to our program this season is a positive step for both him and our program."

As a reminder, if TAMU-Commerce was an SEC school, this transfer would not have occurred. 

Back to what Briles left behind. In July, the university settled a lawsuit (one of six) it could not get dismissed. Since then...

It was announced this week that Baylor's Chief Operating Officer will be stepping down in the spring (at the end of the academic year). Reagan Ramsower will not be going far, however; he will move into a  position as a full professor in Baylor business school. This was the same move the university originally tried with former president Kenneth Starr. This time it may work because although Ramsower has been heavily critiqued for how he has handled the sexual assault scandal (as COO he is in charge of the Title IX Office, campus safety, and human resources), his name is less well-known. Still, being able to ride out a scandal like this and being granted a tenured position at the same school...

The beginning of Baylor's academic year also brought an additional lawsuit, filed by a Jane Doe, who is alleging she was sexually assaulted last spring (April) and that the university responded with indifference--and beyond. The allegations in the lawsuit--if found to be true--show that the school has not taken steps to improve its response to campus sexual assault and that the way it approaches victims remains hostile. Some "highlights": during the investigation the victim was asked what she was wearing and how much alcohol she had consumed; the investigation found that the assailant lied about sexual activity occurring but nonetheless found him not responsible because it was reasonable that he believed he has consent even though the victim was in and out of consciousness. Doe wanted to appeal the result and attempted to ask the Title IX office questions to which they did not respond before the deadline for filing an appeal had passed at which point they refused, according to the lawsuit, to extend the deadline. In short, as Baylor talks about how it is implementing the 105 recommendations that came from the Pepper Hamilton report (the external investigation the university commissioned), it is not actually doing anything on the (proverbial) ground.

Another setback for Baylor as it continues to contend with multiple lawsuits and a dozen plaintiffs came a few weeks ago when a judge ruled that plaintiffs' lawyers should have access to the materials (including emails and text messages) that Pepper Hamilton reviewed during its external investigation. Bayloe tried to contend that that information was privileged but the judge said the university waived privilege when it released a summary of the report's findings as well the 105 recommendations.

Finally, the same week that ruling went against Baylor, the school settled another lawsuit. Jasmin Hernandez, who was the first to file a lawsuit, engaged in a confidential settlement with her former university, which included dropping her case against Briles, who was named in the lawsuit along with his former boss, ex-AD Ian McCaw. Hernandez's story drew considerable attention. In addition to going public with her identity and story, her attacker, former football player Tevin Elliott, was found guilty of raping Hernandez in 2014 after the university failed to discipline him for the assault in 2012.

 In addition to the remaining lawsuits from the original "set," Baylor has to contend with the newest very damning allegations. There is far too much shouting about how great Baylor is (hello, Kim Mulkey) while nothing appears to be changing.


* this is a joke; I am not holding the entire country accountable for hiring Art Briles.