Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns Should Fire Hue Jackson Over Art Briles

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Cleveland Browns should fire head coach Hue Jackson for bringing Art Briles to Berea in October 2016

Those of you out there who believe head coach Hue Jackson is the man to right the ship and turn the Cleveland Browns into a winner clearly have nothing to worry about. The Browns aren’t firing Hue Jackson for bringing disgraced former Baylor head coach Art Briles to Berea and to Cleveland practices. It’s not happening.

But it should happen. Jackson should be fired immediately, if not sooner.

Those of us who weren’t at Baylor when the alleged incidents took place will never know all that happened. We know what we’ve read, though, and what has been reported is downright sickening. From Dan Wolken of USA Today:

A report from Pepper Hamilton, an outside law firm hired by Baylor last fall, found the school “failed to take appropriate action to respond to reports of sexual assault and dating violence reportedly committed by football players. The choices made by football staff and athletics leadership, in some instances, posed a risk to campus safety and the integrity of the University.”

The report also found Baylor administrators actively discouraged some complainants from reporting or participating in student conduct processes and in one case constituted retaliation against a complainant for reporting sexual assault.

Also per Wolken, Briles was one of multiple individuals who “were aware of sexual assault allegations against former Bears running back Devin Chafin, but the school didn’t hand down any discipline.”

That USA Today story was published in late May of this year. It is not yet five months old. There is, of course, no statute of limitations that eradicates the stink from such allegations. But the fact of the matter remains that one cannot hear the name of Art Briles on Oct. 14 without thinking of the term “rape culture.”

Jackson defended his decision to bring Briles to Cleveland practices this week while speaking with reporters on October 12:

“What happened at Baylor’s at Baylor,” Jackson stated.

What happened at Baylor’s at Baylor. As Adam “The Bull” of Cleveland sports talk radio station 92.3 The Fan explained on the air during a Thursday broadcast, Jackson basically said “I don’t care what happened at Baylor. Briles can potentially help the Browns win football games, and that’s what matters to me.”

Jackson has every right to contact Briles regarding the pitiful 0-5 Browns. Perhaps Briles could lend a hand by reviewing some All-22 film and pointing out how Cleveland could better execute on certain offensive plays. Jackson bringing Briles to multiple Browns’ practices was, intentionally or not, an endorsement of a coach who was unceremoniously fired not half a year ago.

Jackson is quickly earning a reputation for bringing such individuals in to assist with the Browns roster. Former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, who once played under Jackson, served as a guest instructor for the Browns this past summer. As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk explained and as I was reminded by local and national sports talk radio personality Ken Carman, Johnson was arrested in August 2012 on domestic violence charges after he allegedly “head-butted” his then-wife. Per ESPN.com, Johnson eventually earned a brief jail sentence for a probation violation stemming from the original domestic violence case.

Just win, baby. That seems to be Jackson’s motto as head coach of the Browns.

Jackson and the Browns are lucky. The franchise is such a laughingstock that Jackson bringing Briles to team workouts didn’t get a lot of play among national media outlets. The MLB playoffs, Ronda Rousey returning to UFC, the early days of the NHL and NBA seasons, and other interesting sports stories helped prevent what could have been embarrassing headlines for the Browns from seeing the light of day.

Dee Haslam is a businesswoman who, along with her husband Jimmy, owns the Browns. Mrs. Haslam, per Newsday’s Bob Glauber, was appointed to a league committee meant to review a “revised personal conduct policy for all league employees” following “a spate of recent domestic violence cases involving several NFL players” in late 2014. While Mrs. Haslam has not yet said anything about Jackson bringing Briles to Cleveland practices, one has to assume she wouldn’t be thrilled about the idea.

Every free individual in the United States deserves second chances. Bleacher Report’s Jason King reported this past June that Briles and Baylor reached a contract settlement. Odds are, Briles isn’t hurting for money these days. Jackson allowing Briles to walk through a Browns practice while the Baylor story is fresh on our minds and, technically speaking, still evolving is a bad look. And that Jackson doesn’t get that is an offense worthy of termination.

“What happened at Baylor’s at Baylor.” Remember that line the next time you’re rooting for your Browns while Jackson is on the sideline serving as the team’s coach.