Baylor AD Mack Rhoades is taking a leave of absence, effective immediately, the school announced:
“Baylor Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades is on a leave of absence for personal reasons, effective November 12. The University will decline to comment further at this time.”
Update: Rhoades is also stepping down from the College Football Playoff selection committee, where he served as chairman. It's unclear how or if he will be replaced.
The leave was termed as "personal reasons," but multiple outlets reported late last week that Rhoades came under fire over a confrontation with a Bears football player and assistant coach.
During Baylor's Sept. 20 game with Arizona State, Rhoades reportedly grabbed Bears tight end Michael Trigg to confront him over a gold, long-sleeved shirt he wore underneath his shoulder pads, which clashed with the dark undershirts the rest of the team wore. According to The Athletic, multiple coaches, including head coach Dave Aranda, confronted Rhoades while he was confronting Trigg. After the game, according to Outkick, Rhoades grabbed an assistant coach by the neck and arm, which multiple Baylor staffers witnessed.
A human resources investigation was launched, and Baylor released this statement to Outkick:
More than a month ago, Baylor University received reports of an incident involving Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades. These reports were thoroughly reviewed and investigated in accordance with University policies, appropriate actions were taken, and the matter is now closed. Mr. Rhoades has expressed regret over his emotions and recognizes his conduct at that moment was not reflective of our Christian mission and values.
Mr. Rhoades is an important part of our Baylor Family, and we look forward to his continued leadership of our Athletics Department. We remain committed to ensuring a respectful and accountable environment for all of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff.
On Thursday, Yahoo's Ross Dellenger reported Baylor is investigating a second incident regarding Rhoades.
Baylor was made aware of allegations involving AD Mack Rhoades and is conducting an investigation, sources tell @YahooSports.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 13, 2025
The allegations are unrelated to a Sept. 20 game against Arizona State involving a football player (a story originally emerging last week from OutKick).
Rhoades also serves as the chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, and it's not immediately clear if he will continue in his duties and how the committee would move forward in the event he steps down. The CFP has three weekly rankings ahead of Selection Sunday on Dec. 7.
Rhoades has been Baylor's AD for the past seven years, and was the AD at Missouri, Houston, and Akron prior to that, dating back to 2006.
The news comes as Aranda sits on the proverbial hot seat, with sources close to FootballScoop indicating the school could have moved on if Baylor lost its homecoming game to UCF on Nov. 1. Baylor won the game, 30-3, but sits at 5-4 on the season and 3-3 in Big 12 play.