The Art Briles apology tour has been an utter failure and complete disaster. The former Baylor Bears head coach has struggled to show any remorse for his actions, providing a thin apology and seemingly struggling to grasp the severity of the sexual assault scandal at his former school.
In his latest misstep, Briles defended his decision not to meet with Jasmin Hernandez, a former Baylor student who was raped by Baylor linebacker Tevin Elliott in 2012.
Briles backed out of a meeting with Hernandez over the summer and claims he did so because he was not legally able to speak to the victim.
“Well, I would have loved to have done that, I would have loved to have been able to make that meeting but through Baylor and the settlements that were involved, I was not able to attend due to that,” Briles said, via ESPN.com. “I would have loved to have a chance to tell her how sorry I was that she got victimized.”
Briles unwillingness to use the word “rape” when discussing Hernandez speaks volumes. And his defense of his refusal to meet with her shows that he is a guy who just doesn’t get it.
Hernandez, however, wasn’t surprised.
“It’s unsurprising to me [Briles didn’t show up] and while I’m sure he would like to go around and tie up loose ends and make public acts of attempting repentance, it just doesn’t come across to me as sincere and I think what he said in his interview with ESPN speaks volumes,” Hernandez said. “Actions speak louder than words and we see his actions here as he put himself and his settlement with Baylor, which is obviously very important to him, above that.
“And then when it comes to just words such as I’m sorry, saying ‘No comment’ instead is just an action that is consistent with his past behavior. To me, it’s just a reflection of his character.”
If Briles is going to continue making public appearances to try to rehab his image and earn another coaching job, he’s going to have to do a lot better. Because right now, he’s showing a lack of understanding and awareness that allowed the rape culture to infect his locker room at Baylor University.
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Photo Credit: @bubbaprog, Twitter
