By making this hire official on the Friday before a holiday weekend, Mount Vernon ISD thought that they could let this little piece of news slip by. They were sorely mistaken.
— Matt Stepp (@Matt_Stepp817) May 24, 2019
From Mount Vernon ISD superintendent Dr. Jason McCullough to me on hiring Art Briles as their new AD/Head Football Coach as they begin graduation ceremonies for the high school seniors. I hope to have additional answers sometime later tonight. #txhsfb pic.twitter.com/3YrzasKtCX— David Smoak (@DavidSmoak) May 25, 2019
This... this does not shock me in the least. Given the near-myth status of high school football in the state of Texas, it's just business as usual.Full release from @MtVernonISD about hiring former Baylor football coach Art Briles as their head football coach pic.twitter.com/OjwURAOFsA— Micah Fleet (@MicahFleet) May 24, 2019
Trying to mold young men into upstanding citizens of the future is one of the go-to statements for football coaches when they discuss why they entered the profession. It is a noble pursuit, but ultimately, winning, especially in Texas, takes precedence over all. Nobody truly cares if these "good kids" aren't winning. Mount Vernon's decision to hire Art Briles shows that all they care about is winning. Forget about the welfare of the community and his baggage. Forget about the potential damage to how our community is perceived... none of it will matter if we make deep playoff runs and win state.
You know, maybe we as a society are so obsessed with handing out second chances and never stop to think whether the person has done anything that warrants him/her getting that second chance. No one should be deprived of an opportunity to work and earn an income, but then again, not everyone deserves a second chance. To me, Art Briles has not done a thing that warrants him earning a second chance at coaching at any level of football. No contrition, no accountability. And now... he gets a completely undeserved "second chance" to coach boys in high school. Way to gloss over everything that occurred under his watch at Baylor. All that was mentioned in the press release that pertained to Baylor was that he didn't commit any recruiting violations. Let's give him a cookie for that!
— Jessica Luther (@jessicawluther) May 24, 2019
The vast majority of the guys I played with at Cy Woods have all turned into upstanding men and none of the people I know have had allegations of sexual assault levied against them, as far as I know. I haven't heard of anyone who came after me facing allegations of this nature, either. I sure hope that none of the kids in this program, now and in the future, are moronic enough or awful enough to land himself or themselves in this predicament.
I understand that false accusations can be made. And yes, the stigma of being accused of a sex crime will always be attached to the accused, regardless of its truthfulness. However, not believing an accusation that turns out to be true is just as worse as one that isn't. It is absolute hell for all parties involved, regardless of the outcome. All I can say is that you should listen to victims, even if you have your doubts at first. Let them tell their side of the story before making any kind of judgments.
And most importantly, have some respect for people. It really isn't that hard. "No means no" is literally one of the first lessons that we learn when we ask for something and we can't have it. If a girl or anyone who is suddenly the object of your affection doesn't want your attention... leave them alone. See someone getting harassed? Put a stop to it. Maybe assess the people you hang out with if you find out that they make horrible remarks on a regular basis.
I'm sure I'll get a hostile response for this, but I don't care. The hostility speaks more about you than it does me, to be honest.
