Doug Williams ‘Very Disappointed’ Grambling Hired Art Briles
The most storied player in Grambling State football history, Doug Williams, admits that he can no longer support his alma mater because of their decision to hire Art Briles.
"If I support them, I condone it,” Williams told the Washington Post.
As OutKick’s Nick Geddes outlined on Thursday, Grambling State has tabbed Briles to be their offensive coordinator. Briles, 66, was infamously fired from Baylor in 2016 after it was revealed that he and other members of the athletic department failed to take action regarding sexual assault and sexual misconduct committed by members of the football team.
Briles, by the way, was cleared by the NCAA of any wrongdoing.
"I’m very, very disappointed in Grambling, I really am. ... I talked to the (athletic director) a couple times,” added Williams. “They knew where I stood, but they did it, and if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine. I’m out.”
Briles has steadfastly denied that he knew anything about Baylor’s sex assault scandal that reportedly involved more than 30 players and over 50 rapes.
As OutKick previously detailed, Briles was largely used as a scapegoat by the University. “I knew it would take time for facts and the truth to get out,” Briles said in a 2020 interview with OutKick founder Clay Travis. “Truth takes time. A negative story sounds a lot better than a truthful story.”
Williams, however, will need more time. “I don’t know Art Briles. I’ve never met him in my life,” Williams admitted to the Washington 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.”
Grambling State athletic director Trayvean Scott defended the university’s decision to hire Briles, telling ESPN, "We felt it to give him a chance to really redeem himself after understanding where the facts lie."
Briles won two Big 12 championships in eight seasons at Baylor, but hasn’t coached in college since his ouster. His most recent coaching stops include a stint in Italy and two years at the high school level.
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