The University of the Incarnate Word’s football team needs a new head coach, and billionaire B.J. “Red” McCombs is touting Art Briles as a candidate.
According to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, McCombs has contacted UIW’s Board of Trustees in hopes of convincing the school to hire Briles.
However, a source told Orsborn the university is not considering the disgraced former Baylor coach as a potential replacement for Larry Kennan. He was 20-46 at UIW over a six-year stretch.
Briles, who Baylor terminated as a result of the school’s sexual assault scandal, hasn’t been on the sideline since the 2015 season. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League attempted to hire him in August 2017 before public backlash caused the team to renege on the decision.
As much as it’s understandable for someone to believe a person deserves a second chance, it doesn’t mean he should have the same opportunity. Briles showed a complete lack of control over the Baylor program, and the risk of continued problems is far more impactful than the reward of his football acumen.
UIW would be making a wise decision to pursue other candidates.