Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones vouches for Art Briles
Art Briles’ tenure at Baylor came to an end quickly, due to his reported role in a troubling scandal. But he has Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in his corner.
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After being forced out as head coach at Baylor, due to his role in a wide-ranging sexual assault scandal at the school, Art Briles expressed confidence he would be back in coaching in 2017. Purely as an offensive mind he could surely find a place somewhere, in the pro or college ranks, and he has a significant NFL owner in his corner.
Briles visited Dallas Cowboys’ training camp on Tuesday, and he watched practice alongside owner/general manager Jerry Jones and boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya. Briles has also visited the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns already, but the endorsement Jones offered clearly stands out.
Here’s what Jones had to say about Briles, via ESPN.com Cowboys’ reporter Todd Archer:
"“He’s a peer with his peers,” Jones said. “Certainly I think he would be a great asset to an organization … at any level. At any level. He’s a football coach and really understands talent and can evaluate talent.”“I would vouch for him as a person,” Jones said. “He’s a top-quality person. I’d want my grandson, if he had the chance, to play for him.”"
Briles was also quoted in the story, and here’s what he had to say about his desire to coach next season.
"“I hope November, December, that’s the plan,” Briles said. “Unfortunately some job will come open. I’ve never rooted against anybody or any team, but that’s the nature of the business, so we’ll see what happens then. But like I said it’s going to be a new journey and I’m excited to take it. I really am.”"
The job security of Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett is an annual topic, with a mediocre record (45-43 in the regular season, one playoff appearance) coupled with Jones’ often unrealistic expectations. A desire to put the franchise in the news with big moves is also front and center for Jones, so it’s easy to Briles’ presence at Cowboys’ training camp as something beyond a visit to a former player in wide receiver Terrance Williams.
If the Cowboys underachieve again this season, major injuries perhaps aside, Jones has set the table for a move to fire Garrett and potentially could be interested in giving Briles an opportunity to get back into coaching after a year away from the game.