Think of one of the worst possible cultures to exist on a college campus and athletic department, add that to ignorance and arrogance beyond belief, and you have what is going on in Waco right now.
Oh Baylor, why do you torture your own alumni and university so with your missteps of direction that make Richard M. Nixon look like a saint?
Word surfaced on Monday that the Baylor Board of Regents was considering a vote to allow Art Briles to only be suspended for one year rather than be terminated.
Come on, let’s say it all together: you’ve got to be kidding me.
There is literally no justifiable reason to allow Briles to keep his job, even with a possible one-year suspension. Yet there is a reason, and it’s stupid and so off the charts when it comes to priorities – football.
Yes, football is the bell cow for revenue for a Division 1 school, and Baylor has enjoyed pigskin success it literally has never seen in over 130 years as a university. The saying goes, “Act like you’ve been there.” But they haven’t.
I’ve mentioned to friends and sports acquaintances over the last couple of years that Baylor doesn’t act in appropriate ways alongside the wins they have enjoyed under Briles. They simply cannot handle success.
Well, they’ve proven me right, and gone so far off the deep end in ways that none of us would ever have predicted.
Where are your priorities, Baylor? Again, you’d rather win football games than make the man responsible for the reckless culture that exists on your campus walk?
It definitely makes no sense, but here’s a stab at why this would only happen at Baylor in 2016. Even if it doesn’t justify it.
Baylor will fall back into the abyss they found themselves in for over 20 years if Briles goes away. At least that’s the theory. If this were Texas or OU or Texas A&M or even Texas Tech, they’ve all seen recent football success under different coaches and leadership, and truth be told, they each could simply go find another coach.
Baylor? Good luck. Briles had quite the ball rolling with his program, one that hadn’t sniffed many a conference win, let alone a league title, over the 1990s and 2000s. He was the closest thing to a savior you will find in college football.
Hopefully, logical brains will win out among Baylor’s board and this thing won’t even be put to a vote. Even that would be a huge blow to the perception of the university.
It’s sad. Baylor only made the right decision to let Briles go because they had to. Now they’re even trying to reverse that. Do you think parents are excited about possibly sending their daughters to a place where the university leadership allows this to take place?
In some ways, I can’t wait to see what happens next. Unfortunately this is like a horror movie that keeps on scaring the death out of you.
Only this is real life.
Couldn’t agree more