On Thursday, Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel reported Baylor regents had placed the option of firing Art Briles on the table in response to the ongoing football sexual assault program that has engulfed the university. It may have been a last resort, but it was there nonetheless.
Following that report, Chip Brown of Horns Digest reported Baylor president Ken Starr would be ahead of Briles on the regents' proverbial chopping block.
The sources said Starr will probably be reassigned to a position in BU's law school as a result of the failed leadership displayed after multiple rape claims made by female Baylor students against five BU football players all but went ignored. Two Baylor football players - Tevin Elliott and Sam Ukwuachu - were convicted of rape," Brown wrote. "..... Briles, who has taken an irrelevant football program to two Big 12 titles in the last three years (including a bunch of new athletics facilities), is sometimes referred to by Baylor brass as 'Moses.' He will continue on as football coach, and Ian McCaw would continue as athletic director - barring any evidence in the independent review by the Pepper Hamilton law firm showing an overt cover-up by either Briles or McCaw, BU sources told HD.
The hope would be a new president at Baylor could establish a strong relationship with Briles to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
The Tree of Briles has always been an insular one -- specifically on the offensive side of the ball. What happens outside the coaches' offices doesn't matter because the answers lied within. That approach served the program extremely well in taking Briles and his lieutenants from Stephenville High School to a Conference USA championship at Houston to an unprecedented run of back-to-back Big 12 championships at Baylor.
But it's been a disaster of a public relations strategy in handling this ongoing crisis.
Briles tweeted the following on Thursday to a wave of negative responses.
Briles' offensive line coach Randy Clements Tweeted the following on Friday: "I love how u media experts speculate about CAB. Creating a sensational headline hoping someone will click on it. Pathetic!"
Clements has been with Briles since the Stephenville days. It's not surprising he would dig in alongside his longtime boss. It is surprising he would tweet about it.
Briles' off-the-field assistants have also circled the wagons on social media.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.