AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Fired Baylor coach Art Briles ripped his former employer Thursday, accusing the school of wrongful termination and indicating he has no interest in settling a federal lawsuit filed against him and the university by a woman who was raped by a football player.

In a motion filed Thursday as part of the lawsuit, Briles said he wants new attorneys separate from the school, and his personal attorney said Baylor was using the coach as a scapegoat for its failings in handling allegations of sexual assault.

''The conclusion is inescapable that the motive of Baylor and the Board of Regents was to use its head football coach and the Baylor athletic department as a camouflage to disguise and distract from its own institutional failure to comply'' with federal civil rights protections, Briles lawyer Ernest Cannon wrote to Baylor's attorneys in the latest development in a scandal that has gripped the world's largest Baptist university for months .

Cannon also demanded that Baylor ''immediately turn over to me the entire contents of each and every one of their litigation files'' - including information given to the Pepper Hamilton law firm that investigated Baylor's response to assault allegations in recent years.

Baylor officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Briles had been mostly silent since he was fired on May 26, but the brass-knuckles response from the 60-year-old coach suggest he's willing to fight the school over his dismissal.

The pushback is similar to his on-the-field demeanor as he built the Baylor program from Big 12 doormat to powerhouse. The Bears went 50-15 over the last five seasons and won two Big 12 titles, stealing the spotlight from programs including Texas and Oklahoma.

Although Briles' contract remains private, various outlets have reported that it ran through 2023 and averaged as much as $6 million per year. Multiple outlets also reported this week that some wealthy Baylor donors were pushing Baylor regents to bring Briles back, but effort appeared to fizzle out by Wednesday. Briles' legal filings came hours later.


Key for Briles in a potential legal scuffle with Baylor will be his ability to retrieve investigation details that have not been publicly released.

Pepper Hamilton gave university regents an oral presentation of its investigation and issued a 13-page "Finding of Fact" that Baylor released to support its decision to fire Briles and demote school president and chancellor Ken Starr on May 26.

Briles was the only coach who was fired. His assistants, including son Kendal Briles and son-in-law Jeff Lebby, remain at Baylor under interim coach Jim Grobe.

In his only previous public statement, Briles complained he hadn't seen the evidence used to fire him. Baylor has resisted demands - including some from Starr and Baylor's largest alumni group - to release more details. Baylor regents have said releasing more details would violate victim privacy.

Baylor currently faces two Title IX lawsuits from rape victims and more could be filed. The Pepper Hamilton review determined that for years the school mishandled rape allegations, and the football program operated as it if was above the rules as coaches and staff interfered with investigations, discipline and potential criminal proceedings.

Briles is a co-defendant in a lawsuit filed in March by former Baylor student Jasmin Hernandez, who was raped in 2012 by a player who was later convicted and sent to prison.

Hernandez' lawsuit claims Baylor knew Tevin Elliott had a history of assaults, failed to protect her and others who were attacked, and ignored her pleas when she sought help.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify sexual assault victims, but Hernandez has spoken publicly to draw attention to the case. Another lawsuit was filed Wednesday by three women who were all identified only as Jane Doe.

Baylor attorneys said last week the defendants were trying to settle with Hernandez. But Briles says Baylor never consulted with him on a settlement and now has a conflict of interest.

Briles said he met with Pepper Hamilton lawyers in February and with Baylor attorneys on April 7. Briles said he believed the Baylor lawyers were working on his behalf, but are now using information he shared to support his firing.

And without a chance to review the evidence collected by Baylor or Pepper Hamilton, ''Mr. Briles does not wish to settle the (lawsuit) and does not consent to any settlement in that case or any other case in which (Briles) is jointly named as a defendant and currently outstanding or filed in the future,'' Cannon said in his letter.

Baylor and Hernandez's lawyers have a settlement mediation meeting scheduled Friday, said her attorney Alex Zalkin.

''There have been no discussions other than let's sit down and talk,'' Zalkin said, declining comment on the dispute between Baylor and Briles.

''That's some infighting between them,'' Zalkin said. ''We'll let them figure out who is representing who.''

Story: The latest with Rivals100 DE Chase Young

for what it's worth he was at the 757 camp the other day and told TSL that VT and tennesse are tied at #1.
Guys, Jason didn't care if I used TSL info but if you guys do, no problem, I'll take this down.
Thanks

Fitzgerald (Ga.) tight end Lecitus Smith announced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon that he has committed to the Virginia Tech Hokies. He also had offers from N.C. State and Arkansas among others.

Our interview with Smith following his commitment

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How and where do you get season tickets for basketball. Anyone have an idea of how much they are thanks!

Nick Bromberg - Dr. Saturday

Four additional lawsuits were filed against the NCAA and specific member conferences last week regarding concussions.

One of the four suits is led by Ray Griffin, the brother of two-time Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. Ray played defensive end at Ohio State from 1974-77 but the suit does not mention the Buckeyes; only the NCAA and the Big Ten.

Griffin's suit notes "Defendants Big Ten and the NCAA have kept their players and the public in the dark about an epidemic that was slowly killing their athletes" and that "despite knowing for decades of a vast body of scientific research describing the danger of TBIs, Defendants failed to implement procedures to protect Plaintiff and other Ohio State football players from the long-term dangers associated with them. They did so knowingly and for profit."

The four suits bring the total of concussion-related lawsuits against the NCAA to 10 in recent weeks. Six suits were filed in May,though one of the plaintiffs in the six suits removed his name because he was unaware he'd be suing both Penn State and the Big Ten.

Other suits were filed by Derrick Lee, a former Duke player, ex-Tennessee player O.J. Owens and former Michigan Wolverine Steve Strink. Only Lee's suit names his former school in addition to the ACC and NCAA; both Owens (SEC) and Strink (Big Ten) name their conferences and the SEC.

The NCAA did not respond to the AP's request for comment regarding the suits.

Release from VT:

BLACKSBURG – Head coach Buzz Williams announced the addition of his former player Joe Fulce to his staff today.

Fulce was part of Williams’s teams at Marquette from 2008-11, averaging 3.1 ppg with the Golden Eagles. After major knee surgery ended his professional basketball aspirations, Fulce graduated from Marquette and accepted a job with Digital Intelligence Systems in Dallas, Texas, as well as running his company, JF21 Basketball Training/Conditioning.

As a graduate manager, Fulce will start classes in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in addition to his duties with the basketball program. Fulce will join Williams and his staff over the summer as preparation for the 2016-17 season begin.

The Hokies are coming off an exceptional season. The Hokies defeated two top-10 teams and won 20 games for first time in five years. Tech was 14-5 at home, including a 7-2 record in ACC play. The Hokies finished the regular season winning the final five games and followed that with a win overFlorida State in the ACC Tournament. Tech made its first post season appearance since 2011, advancing to the second round of the NIT.

Sam Cooper - Dr. Saturday

Could Art Briles return to the sideline as Baylor head coach?

According to a report from HornsDigest.com’s Chip Brown, the school’s board of regents will “consider a one-year suspension” for Briles when it meets on Monday. Bleacher Report’s Jason King also reported the news.

According to Brown, the push to vote for Briles’ return in 2017 is “being driven by some of the biggest bjg-money donors at the school – many of whom helped fund BU’s $300 million football stadium that opened in 2014.” Briles is said to have met with “some key figures associated with the school last Thursday.”

However, USA Today reported that though there is support for Briles' return among "a faction of voices within the school's board of regents," the voices are "few in number" and action to bring back the coach is "unlikely."

From USA Today:

While a small minority of Baylor donors have been pushing behind the scenes to bring back Art Briles as football coach in 2017 — effectively giving him a one-year suspension — it is unlikely to result in any action, USA TODAY Sports has learned.

A person with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the discussions, said there is indeed a faction of voices within the school’s Board of Regents still supporting Briles and urging the school to bring him back. But those voices, the person said, were few in number at this point and considered to be on the margins.

Briles was “suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate” by the board on May 26 as it released summary findings from an investigation into the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations. The investigation, conducted by Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton, found “specific failings within both the football program and athletics department leadership” and said there were “significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of student-athlete misconduct.”

According to Brown's report, some at Baylor believe the weight of the scandal should fall on the shoulders of Ken Starr, BU’s former president and chancellor. Starr was removed as president the same day Briles was "suspended," but stayed on as chancellor untilresigning earlier this month.

From Horns Digest:

There are those among the Baylor leadership who feel the major failings of the BU rape scandal fall on former president Ken Starr for the school not having a Title IX coordinator from 2011-2014, sources said. If BU had a Title IX coordinator, the football coaching staff would have had training on how to handle any complaints of rape made against football players, sources said.

Those members of the BU leadership who say Briles should have been spared while Starr should have been the fall guy for the scandal are getting a lot of pressure from big-money donors who say they'll stop giving to the university if Briles isn't brought back as coach in 2017, sources said.

If there aren’t a sufficient number of votes to bring back Briles, a settlement between “$15 million and $25 million” could be on the table for the coach, Brown's report said.

In the interim, Baylor hired former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe as “acting head coach” for 2016. All of Briles’ assistants, including his son Kendal, the Bears’ offensive coordinator, were retained.

What is going on at the camp? Who showed up?

Destrehan (La.) Wide receiver Michael Young released his Top 10 on Twitter Tuesday afternoon and the Hokies made the cut along with Oregon, Arizona, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt among others.

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I just caught up with 5-star DB Lamont Wade. He talked about today's visit to Alabama and yesterday's visit to Mississippi State. Wade also said he will be competing in 7v7 tournaments at Penn State & Pittsburgh over the next two weekends with his high school team. He is also planning visits to Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and UCLA.

Story: Five-star CB Lamont Wade reacts to pair of SEC visits

Sam Cooper - Dr. Saturday

Could Art Briles return to the sideline as Baylor head coach?

According to a report from HornsDigest.com’s Chip Brown, the school’s board of regents will “consider a one-year suspension” for Briles when it meets on Monday. Bleacher Report’s Jason King also reported the news.

According to Brown, the push to vote for Briles’ return in 2017 is “being driven by some of the biggest bjg-money donors at the school – many of whom helped fund BU’s $300 million football stadium that opened in 2014.” Briles is said to have met with “some key figures associated with the school last Thursday.”

However, USA Today reported that though there is support for Briles' return among "a faction of voices within the school's board of regents," the voices are "few in number" and action to bring back the coach is "unlikely."

From USA Today:

While a small minority of Baylor donors have been pushing behind the scenes to bring back Art Briles as football coach in 2017 — effectively giving him a one-year suspension — it is unlikely to result in any action, USA TODAY Sports has learned.

A person with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the private nature of the discussions, said there is indeed a faction of voices within the school’s Board of Regents still supporting Briles and urging the school to bring him back. But those voices, the person said, were few in number at this point and considered to be on the margins.

Briles was “suspended indefinitely with intent to terminate” by the board on May 26 as it released summary findings from an investigation into the school’s handling of sexual assault allegations. The investigation, conducted by Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton, found “specific failings within both the football program and athletics department leadership” and said there were “significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of student-athlete misconduct.”

According to Brown's report, some at Baylor believe the weight of the scandal should fall on the shoulders of Ken Starr, BU’s former president and chancellor. Starr was removed as president the same day Briles was "suspended," but stayed on as chancellor untilresigning earlier this month.

From Horns Digest:

There are those among the Baylor leadership who feel the major failings of the BU rape scandal fall on former president Ken Starr for the school not having a Title IX coordinator from 2011-2014, sources said. If BU had a Title IX coordinator, the football coaching staff would have had training on how to handle any complaints of rape made against football players, sources said.

Those members of the BU leadership who say Briles should have been spared while Starr should have been the fall guy for the scandal are getting a lot of pressure from big-money donors who say they'll stop giving to the university if Briles isn't brought back as coach in 2017, sources said.

If there aren’t a sufficient number of votes to bring back Briles, a settlement between “$15 million and $25 million” could be on the table for the coach, Brown's report said.

In the interim, Baylor hired former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe as “acting head coach” for 2016. All of Briles’ assistants, including his son Kendal, the Bears’ offensive coordinator, were retained.

Sunday Dante (VT has offered) and Darius Stills made their way to Blacksburg from Fairmont (W. Va.). The brothers are 6-foot-4, 295 pounds and 6-foot-3, 270 respectively and come off the strong side at defensive end. Darius is a senior recruit while Dante is a rising junior.

As far as the big man group went, Darius was a standout on the line. He had the fastest motor there by far and was able to get around all of his opponents using his combination of strength and speed.

There’s no questioning why he already has offers from Appalachian State, Kent State and UMass.

It would be surprising to us if he doesn’t start pulling some bigger offers sooner rather than later.

Dante already has an offer from the Hokies as well as the home-state Mountaineers, but he also has an impressive motor and good strength on the line. With another year in the weight room and on the field under his belt, there's no reason why his stock won't shoot up further.

We can tell you there is family in the Stills Camp who think very highly of VT and the town of Blacksburg.
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As we reported here on our premium forum earlier this evening, Potomac (M.d.) Bullis offensive guard Aiden Brown (6-3, 279) was also on hand on Sunday. He entered the Virginia Tech camp carrying more than 10 offers including tenders from Air Force, Cincinnati, Navy and Marshall. Brown also left with an offer from Virginia Tech.

Brown wasn’t the fastest player in the big man group, but he definitely had smooth feet and adequate blocking technique.

He actually went up against Darius Stills on numerous occasions and was able to win several of those battles.

It would have been interesting to see the elder Stills go against Brown as it would have likely pitted the best defensive lineman against the best offensive lineman in the group, but being on opposite ends of the line, that matchup never materialized.

BTW ... we have now spoken with Brown and we will release our interview with him over the next 24 hours. As one would expect, VT is now a major factor with him.


Aiden Brown shown here today at camp -- Hokiehaven.com
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Muskegon (MI.) Virginia Tech commit Kalil Pimpleton was on hand to watch teammates Jacorey Smith (6-1, 190 pound receiver) and Ladarius Jefferson (6-2, 180 pound quarterback).

Smith is a class of 2017 prospect, but is still looking for his first offer and Jefferson is a junior prospect.

While the teammates didn’t have a chance to actually throw to each other, both looked impressive. Jefferson completed every pass that we saw him throw and the receivers didn’t have to work too hard for them. Jefferson was still able to consistently put the ball on target and his mechanics proved solid.

Smith did a solid job of attacking the ball at its highest point, going up and getting it. His biggest area for improvement needs to come in the route-running department, but that was common for most of the players going through the drills.

Virginia Tech wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins spent time working with campers on technique and getting to the outside. He wasn’t shy about showing them what happened if they didn’t by intercepting a few passes himself.

We hope everyone is having a great weekend!

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