Ex-Baylor head coach Art Briles has his first job in college football since the sexual assault scandal that resulted in his dismissal as the Bears head coach in May 2016. Briles was confirmed as the next offensive coordinator at Grambling State Thursday, a move that prompted significant blowback from the national media as Briles joins first-year head coach Hue Jackson’s staff.
Media members, however, were not the only ones to voice disappointment with the hire. Former Grambling State quarterback and ex-Tigers head coach Doug Williams told The Washington Post that he, too, is no fan of his alma mater’s decision to bring Briles onboard.
“I don’t know Art Briles; I’ve never met him in my life,” Williams told The Post. “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.”
Williams went on to say that he will no longer support the program as long as Briles remains on staff, per The Post. “Oh, no. I can’t do that. No, no, no. If I support them, I condone it,” Williams said.
Briles, 66, took the Baylor football program to unprecedented heights during his eight-season run as the program’s head coach — Briles oversaw a Heisman winner in quarterback Robert Griffin III and a pair of Big 12 championships — but his tenure ended in turmoil when an investigation concluded that the program mishandled allegations of sexual assault and violence under his watch.