Art Briles is returning to Texas football.
On Friday, the Mt. Vernon Independent School District announced the embattled coach has accepted a job at Texas' Mount Vernon High School. The news arrives about three years after Briles lost his job at Baylor University amid a highly publicized sexual assault scandal.
"We are pleased to welcome Coach Briles back home to Texas. He brings with him a wealth of not only football experience but also life experience," Dr. Jason McCullough, Mount Vernon ISD’s Superintendent of Schools, said in a press release. "He is passionate about investing in the lives of young people and helping them to succeed both on the field and in life. After a thorough due diligence process and several earnest conversations, we believe our students will benefit greatly from his skills and experience."
Briles has reportedly signed a two-year head coaching contract with the Class 3A school. He said he was excited to lead the team this fall.
"I began my coaching career in the Friday night lights of Texas high school football, and I’m looking forward to returning to my roots," Briles said. "I have learned many lessons during my time as a coach. Some lessons are born out of success and others out of failure. But they all present opportunities to grow, to learn, and to teach, as we strive for excellence both on and off the field.”
Briles took his first head coaching position in 1984 at a high school in Hamlin, Texas. He would go on to coach several other high school football teams before heading to the University of Houston in 2003 and then Baylor in 2008. He was dismissed from the latter school in 2016, after he was accused of mishandling sexual assault allegations against his football players.
At the end of 2016, Briles filed a lawsuit against four Baylor officials, claiming they falsely accused him of failing to report alleged gang rapes committed by student athletes. He struggled to secure a coaching position in the following years, but eventually landed a job with the Guelfi Firenze—an American football team in Florence, Italy—in 2018.
