Wednesday, a report surfaced that whatever effort there was by a handful of Baylor boosters to bring Art Briles back as head football coach was all but dead.
Advertisement
A court filing Thursday by former Baylor football coach Art Briles in relation to a lawsuit filed against him and the school by a sexual assault victim was anything but routine – and it signaled a nasty turn in the divorce between Briles and Baylor.
Although Briles’ contract remains private, various outlets have reported that it ran through 2023 and averaged as much as $6 million per year.
Jasmin Hernandez says former football player Tevin Elliott raped her, and is suing Baylor and Briles in federal court for enabling the player.
Art Briles is now ready to open up about his firing through his attorney, and the 60-year-old took the opportunity to rip Baylor.
In a motion filed Thursday as part of the lawsuit, Briles said he wants new attorneys separate from the school, and his personal attorney said Baylor was using the coach as a scapegoat for its failings in handling allegations of sexual assault. President Ken Starr was reassigned to chancellor, from where he resigned less than a week later.
The woman claimed that Briles, among others, was made aware of the alleged sexual assault but did nothing.
“Briles’ claims are that Baylor’s lawyers “used statements, text messages, emails, and other personal information obtained for the objective of this litigation” against Briles in support of his termination on May 26″.
Wolken noted the motion, withdrawn on Friday, appeared to be “mainly a leverage play in settlement talks”.
The AP quoted exerts from a letter Cannon, in representation of Briles, wrote to Baylor lawyers demanding he be provided all legal materials that could involve his client, including all findings by Pepper Hamilton, the Philadelphia law firm hired by Baylor to investigate mishandling of sex assault allegations and cases by the nation’s largest Baptist University. “I think it’s a very positive thing for Baylor University to put this behind us and move forward”. The motion indicates Briles said he provided Baylor attorneys with information pertaining to the case, believing they were “looking after his interest in all respects”.
Reports also established that the other major forces pushing the Baylor board are Bob Simpson, the co-owner of the Texas Rangers, Jim Turner, the former chairman of Dr. Pepper, and Houston attorney John Eddie Williams.
But since then the lawyers, among other things, have “used statements, text messages, emails and other personal information obtained for the objective of this litigation…in support of Baylor University’s termination of Coach Briles”, the motion says.
Advertisement
Baylor is now trying to settle a similar lawsuit filed in March. “That’s some infighting between them”.
