Grambling State Football

After former NFL head coach Hue Jackson alleged that he was incentivized to lose on purpose during his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, the league is reportedly investigating the organization.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the Browns maintain that they have nothing to hide after denying Jackson's allegations.

Even though Hue recanted his allegations a short time after they were made, it was important to us and to the integrity of the game to have an independent review of the allegations,” a team spokesperson said in a statement. “We welcomed an investigation and we are confident the results will show, as we’ve previously stated, that these allegations are categorically false. We have fully cooperated with Mary Jo White and look forward to the findings.

The investigation was first reported by Gary Grambling and Connor Orr of Sports Illustrated. A league spokesperson confirmed to Cabot that the Browns were being probed.

"We can confirm the NFL engaged former SEC chair Mary Jo White in February to look into allegations made by Hue Jackson against the Cleveland Browns," the NFL spokesperson said. "The review is ongoing and is expected to conclude soon."

White is also leading an investigation into allegations made by former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores, who also stated that he was offered money by team owner Stephen Ross to lose games during the 2019 season in order to secure a higher draft pick. Flores made those claims as part of his lawsuit against the NFL alleging racial discrimination in hiring practices.

Jackson is currently the head coach at Grambling State University. He somewhat backed off his accusations against the Browns in February, saying he wasn't paid for losing games but his situation "has some similarities" to Flores'.

The Browns dismissed Jackson's allegations in a statement at the time, calling them "completely fabricated."

Cleveland went 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons under Jackson, who was fired during the 2018 campaign.

Art Briles will not be Grambling's offensive coordinator after all.

A school spokesperson confirmed to Chris Vannini of The Athletic that Briles resigned from head coach Hue Jackson's staff on Monday. Pete Thamel of ESPN had previously reported Briles would not be the offensive coordinator.

Grambling's initial decision to hire Briles drew plenty of criticism.

After all, it was set to be his first collegiate coaching job since Baylor fired him in 2016 following an independent investigation from the Pepper Hamilton law firm that determined there was a "fundamental failure" by the university to handle allegations of sexual violence and intimate partner violence by football players.

"Unfortunately, I feel that my continued presence will be a distraction to you and your team, which is the last thing that I want," Briles said in a statement, per Thamel. "I have the utmost respect (for) the university, and your players."

On Saturday, Koki Riley of the Monroe News-Star reported there still remained "hurdles to clear" before Briles was officially the offensive coordinator, including a majority approval during a vote from the 16-member board.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN reported Jackson defended the decision to hire Briles before the latter's resignation in a statement released under the letterhead of the former Cleveland Browns coach's foundation:

The Hue Jackson Foundation has been dedicated to fighting against ALL forms of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as other forms of racial and social bias. We have a clear understanding of the role that coaches and others who have a position of trust play in the lives of those they meet.

We also know and understand the process of identifying risks, helping others to heal, and the importance of prevention. We believe that through the hiring of Coach Briles and the well-developed programs we have in place, this hire will be instrumental in teaching others the importance of knowing how to prevent victimization, proper reporting procedures, provide adequate resources to individuals who have been victimized and develop strong law enforcement partnerships within the community.

Briles coached at Houston from 2003 through 2007 and Baylor from 2008 through 2015. He finished with a combined 99-65 record during those two stops.

In August, the NCAA announced penalties that included four years of probation for Baylor for various violations that included impermissible benefits for student-athletes. However, it explained the more serious allegations fell outside of its jurisdiction.

"Baylor admitted to moral and ethical failings in its handling of sexual and interpersonal violence on campus but argued those failings, however egregious, did not constitute violations of NCAA rules," the Division I Committee on Infractions hearing panel said. "Ultimately, and with tremendous reluctance, this panel agrees. To arrive at a different outcome would require the [committee] to ignore the rules the Association's membership has adopted—rules under which the [committee] is required to adjudicate. Such an outcome would be antithetical to the integrity of the infractions process."

Briles' lawyer, Scott Tompsett, released a statement saying that ruling "completely exonerated" the coach and "clears the way" for him to return to a college job.

As for the Grambling program, it made headlines when it hired Jackson in December considering the former NFL coach was on the sidelines for the Browns from 2016 to 2018 and the Oakland Raiders in 2011.

Grambling went 0-4 during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and 4-7 in 2021.               

Grambling State football coach Hue Jackson has defended his hiring of Art Briles, the former Baylor head coach fired in 2016 for his handling of sexual assault allegations made against several football players in the program.

The decision to hire Briles as Grambling State's offensive coordinator sparked strong criticism, but Jackson stood by it in a written statement Monday:

The Hue Jackson Foundation has been dedicated to fighting against ALL forms of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as other forms of racial and social bias. We have a clear understanding of the role that coaches and others who have a position of trust play in the lives of those they meet.

We also know and understand the process of identifying risks, helping others to heal, and the importance of prevention. We believe that through the hiring of Coach Briles and the well-developed programs we have in place, this hire will be instrumental in teaching others the importance of knowing how to prevent victimization, proper reporting procedures, provide adequate resources to individuals who have been victimized and develop strong law enforcement partnerships within the community.

https://twitter.com/nrarmour/status/1498334847714177025

People are gonna trot out all the same tired arguments to defend Art Briles. But the basic thing is: No, he doesn’t deserve a “second chance” to coach college football. He can do something else with his life, but he’s proven utterly incapable of this particular responsibility

— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) February 28, 2022

Baylor fired Briles after an independent investigation by law firm Pepper Hamilton found that he ran a program with "no culture of accountability for misconduct" and noted "significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor's football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of athlete misconduct" (h/t Andrea Adelson of ESPN). 

It found that players were "above the rules" and that "in certain instances, including reports of a sexual assault by multiple football players, athletics and football personnel affirmatively chose not to report sexual violence and dating violence to an appropriate administrator outside of athletics."

Briles, the University of Baylor and former athletic director Ian McCaw still have a pending lawsuit against them.

In 2017, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League hired Briles as a coach, only to reverse course hours later after intense public backlash. 

Southern Mississippi considered Briles for an offensive coordinator opening in 2019 and met with him but decided against hiring him. The school's Committee on Services and Resources for Women "adamantly opposed" his potential hiring.

He worked for the Guelfi Firenze in Italy in 2018 and Texas' Mount Vernon High School in 2019 and 2020 before the Grambling State job.

In an interview on KTAL-TV on Thursday after his hiring (via ESPN's Mark Schlabach), Briles said:

"I'll do exactly what I'm required to do and what they expect of me, which is to be a very solid citizen, to be a positive leader on a day-in and day-out basis, to do everything I can do to protect our students and our student-athletes on campus and to represent the Grambling University to the best of my ability because I'm very humble and grateful to be at this university."

But the backlash has been significant, even from important school figures. 

"I will say it to your damn face. It's a ridiculous hire!"

— ESPN's @stephenasmith blasts Grambling State University after hiring Art Briles as offensive coordinator. Briles last oversaw Baylor's football program, that as Smith notes was "rife with sexual assault." pic.twitter.com/CIecsPKMwK

— The Recount (@therecount) February 25, 2022

https://twitter.com/NicoleAuerbach/status/1496902605527826441

This is just horrible. If you want to hire a guy with a cool playbook, just admit it and spare us the rest. https://t.co/oTIDgWQhUp

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 28, 2022

"It certainly put me in a tough situation being a supporter of Grambling football," former team quarterback and coach Doug Williams told ESPN's John Keim. "I don't know Art Briles, but it doesn't sit well with me."

Grambling State has announced former Baylor head coach Art Briles as its next offensive coordinator, but his hiring is subject to majority approval by the 16-member University of Louisiana System in an April 28 vote, per Koki Riley of the Monroe News-Star.

"It's up to the board and our board takes things very seriously," vice president of external affairs and chief of staff for the UL System Cami Geisman said. "They're not a rubber-stamp board by any means."

UL System President Jim Henderson provided additional comments.

"Certainly when there is a high-profile hire, there's going to be additional scrutiny at the System level," he said Friday, without referring to Briles specifically.

Per Brad Reagan of the Wall Street Journal, 17 women reported sexual or domestic assaults that involved 19 players who were at Baylor while Briles coached the Bears.

A lawsuit from a Baylor University graduate filed in 2017 said that 31 Baylor football players committed 52 acts of rape at minimum between 2011 and 2014, per Sarah Mervosh of the Dallas Morning News.

Per Marvosh, "those figures could not be independently verified ... and Baylor officials declined to comment on their accuracy."

Baylor fired Briles in 2016 after an independent investigation by the law firm Pepper Hamilton found significant problems within the football program, athletic department and the school's administration in responding to the allegations.

A May 26, 2016, news release from Baylor read in part:

In addition to broader University failings, Pepper found specific failings within both the football program and Athletics department leadership, including a failure to identify and respond to a pattern of sexual violence by a football player and to a report of dating violence.

The school also stated that the investigation showed "a fundamental failure by Baylor to implement Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA)."

In regard to the football program, the statement said there are "significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor's football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of athlete misconduct."

Per Riley, the NCAA cleared Briles and his coaching staff of violations but said that the former Bears coach "failed to meet even the most basic expectations of how a person should react to the kind of conduct at issue."

Since his Baylor tenure, Briles was hired as the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats' assistant head coach for offense in 2017, but that fell through after a wave of criticism.

Briles coached the Italian Football League's Guelfi Firenze in 2018. He interviewed for Southern Miss' offensive coordinator job in 2019 but did not get hired amid more concerns. Briles then served as the head coach for Texas' Mount Vernon High School for two years.

He had re-signed with Guelfi Firenze before Grambling head coach Hue Jackson brought him on staff. It's no guarantee that'll happen, but Riley wrote that the board has not denied a football coach's contract or term sheet over the last five years.

Still, Riley wrote Saturday that there are "hurdles to clear" and "it's expected Briles' hiring will attract more attention than the usual coaching position."

The decision has already created some backlash, with former Grambling star and Super Bowl XXII MVP Doug Williams expressing concerns to Andrew Golden and Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.

"I'm very, very disappointed in Grambling, I really am. I talked to the [athletic director] a couple times. They knew where I stood, but they did it and if that's what they want to do, that's fine. I'm out."

Grambling is in its first year under Jackson, whose 35-year coaching career includes stints as head coach of the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns.

When Hue Jackson was head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2016, he invited Art Briles to training camp, saying he would "learn from anybody if they can help us," according to the Monroe News-Star's Ethan Sands.

Briles had just been fired as head coach of the Baylor Bears for mishandling reports of sexual assault against members of the football team.

"I've gotten to know Coach Briles," Jackson said two years ago, according to Sands. "I'm always looking for different ways of doing things. What happened at Baylor's at Baylor."

Jackson added:

I respect what you're saying [about character] and understand that trail, but, at the same time, everybody deserves an opportunity to do what they do. I respect everybody's feeling and I don't condone anything ... but that's not for me to judge. Again, the opportunity to pick his brain ... and get to know him outside of all of that in a different capacity is what was important to me.

Jackson's tenure with the Browns ended in 2018, and in December he was hired as head coach of the Grambling State Tigers.

Briles is set to join the program as offensive coordinator, but, according to Koki Riley of the Monroe News-Star, Grambling State hasn't told the University of Louisiana System that it plans to hire Briles. A majority of the 16-person board must approve the hiring.

Briles has not coached since he was fired by Baylor.

Former Baylor coach Art Briles will be the next offensive coordinator at Grambling State, a school spokesperson confirmed to Chris Vannini of The Athletic. 

It will be Briles' first job in collegiate athletics since he was fired by Baylor in 2016 after an independent investigation found he failed to report accusations of sexual violence and intimate partner violence by football players. Investigators from the Pepper Hamilton law firm said there was a "fundamental failure" by the university in its handling of the allegations.

In August 2021, the NCAA announced light penalties for recruiting violations but said it "could not conclude that Baylor violated NCAA rules when it failed to report allegations of and address sexual and interpersonal violence committed on its campus."

Briles' attorney, Scott Tompsett, said in a statement at the time the NCAA's decision "completely exonerated" the coach and "clears the way" for him to return to the sidelines.

It still came after the school "admitted to moral and ethical failings" with its handling of cases during the NCAA investigation. 

Since ending his tenure at Baylor, Briles spent two years as a head coach at Mount Vernon High School in Texas before stepping down in December 2020.

The 66-year-old was a candidate to become an offensive coordinator at Southern Miss in 2019 and had the backing of head coach Jay Hopson, but school officials took him out of the running. In 2017, Briles was briefly hired by the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats until widespread backlash led to the team reversing its decision.

Briles will now join the staff at Grambling State, a team that finished 4-7 in 2021, including a 3-5 record in the SWAC. Former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson was hired as head coach in December.    

Grambling State is planning to announce a new name, image and likeness deal that will compensate each of the school's scholarship athletes, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Thamel described the agreement as "believed to be the first of its kind." He added that the amount of money that will be paid out to the athletes is unknown.

Proponents of NIL reform have argued that allowing students to receive monetary compensation could be a great equalizer in college sports. One sports economist told Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel that "it’s impossible for the competitive balance to get worse" than the gulf between the haves and have-nots that grew under the longtime model for college athletics.

Now, schools outside a major conference—or an entire division below, in the case of some Grambling programs—can flex their financial muscle to help bridge the gap.

Smart move by Grambling State. School will, deservedly, get credit for making deal happen where the entity that pays players isn't the school but is instead a 3rd party. Best kind of deal for a school: builds goodwill with athletes, helps them get paid but school isn't the payer. https://t.co/eBOcUnOBAg

— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) January 31, 2022

Grambling State's NIL deal also comes as it's gaining traction for elite high school athletes to commit to historically Black colleges and universities. The Atlantic's Jemele Hill made the case in October 2019 that HBCUs would gain benefits beyond the playing field if they once again became landing spots for top talent.

Deion Sanders is making waves at Jackson State. He signed five 4-star recruits in his 2021 class and will add Travis Hunter, the No. 1 player in 247Sports' composite rankings for 2022, this coming season.

Under the tenure of legendary head coach Eddie Robinson, Grambling State was one of the most decorated HBCUs on the gridiron, but the Tigers' decline dovetailed with that of HBCU football as a whole.

Between hiring former NFL head coach Hue Jackson and its historic NIL deal, Grambling State clearly envisions taking a step up in the coming years.

The Grambling State football program reportedly offered its head coaching job to Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed before hiring Hue Jackson, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. 

Per that report, Reed was "Grambling's top choice despite limited coaching experience" and the school "presented a comprehensive package" to him.

But Reed ultimately declined, as he was "helping his alma mater navigate a tricky situation with its football program, with Miami recently hiring a new coach and AD, and the timing was also not great for his family."

Reed is, however, reportedly open to being a head coach at some point.

He certainly would bring plenty of credibility from his playing days. The nine-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro selection and 2004 Defensive Player of the Year is one of the best safeties in NFL history.

It says everything about Reed as both a player and a football mind that legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is one of his biggest fans:

“You’re the best free safety that has ever played this game that I’ve seen.” -Bill Belichick@TwentyER is cemented as one of the greatest safeties EVER on the #NFL100 All-Time Team 🙌

📺: NFL 100 All-Time Team on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/kzU5PzQCd7

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 7, 2019

Manning was baffled. Reed’s teammates were amazed. It looked, to a laymen, like a dumb throw by Peyton but later in the year, Belichick called it one of the greatest plays he’d ever seen a defender make. I asked some Ravens why. Found out it was a 10-week rope-a-dope by ER20.

— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) February 2, 2019

So it isn't a surprise that Grambling State made a run at him, even with Reed's lack of coaching experience. Reed has worked on the coaching staff of the Buffalo Bills and is currently the chief of staff at Miami. 

Experience isn't everything, though. Deion Sanders brought limited experience to the Jackson State program, for instance, and led the team to an 11-1 record in just his second season on the job. 

Grambling State still was able to make a high-profile hiring in Jackson, who spent five seasons in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and another four as head coach of the Oakland Raiders (2011) and Cleveland Browns (2016-18).

While he had limited success as a head coach at that level, going just 11-44-1, his lengthy career as a both a college coach—he spent time at Arizona State, California and USC before jumping to the NFL—and professional coach made him more than qualified for the Grambling State gig. 

But it appears as though a head coaching position is in Reed's future as well.

Hue Jackson agreed to a four-year contract to become the new head football coach at Grambling State University on Thursday night, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The 56-year-old Jackson served as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Tennessee State University in 2021, but he is best known for his lengthy NFL coaching career.

Most notably, Jackson was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and the Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018.

Grambling is one of the best-known and most successful historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) in football, having won 15 Black college national championships, the most recent of which came in 2016.

The Tigers have played in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) since 1958 and are a Division I team playing in the FCS.

Grambling struggled this season, going just 4-7, which led to the firing of head coach Broderick Fobbs after eight seasons at the helm.

There has been an increased focus and emphasis on HBCUs in recent years, especially after Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders became the head coach at Jackson State last year.

In his second season at Jackson State, Sanders led the team to an 8-0 conference record and 11-1 overall record in 2021, putting it atop the SWAC.

Grambling is undoubtedly hopeful Jackson can have a similar impact on its program after this season's struggles.

Jackson went 11-44-1 in three-and-a-half seasons as an NFL head coach, including records of 1-15 and 0-16 with the Browns in 2016 and 2017.

He has essentially seen and done it all in a coaching career that began in 1987 and included stops in both the NFL and college.

In addition to being a head coach, Jackson was the offensive coordinator at the University of California in 1996 and USC from 1997 to 2000. He later had stints as an OC with the Washington Football Team, Atlanta Falcons, Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals.

Jackson's name recognition and status as a former NFL head coach could go a long way toward helping Grambling on the recruiting trail, which is perhaps the biggest key to helping the Tigers return to the top of the SWAC.