Ad Disclosure
Hue Jackson releases statement, defends hiring of Art Briles
By Keith Farner
Published:
Hue Jackson and Grambling State received loads of backlash last week when the hiring of Art Briles as offensive coordinator was announced.
At issue was the campus-wide sexual assault allegations that led to an independent investigation and Briles’ firing at Baylor in 2016.
Briles was out of college coaching since May 2016, but before that, he coached at Baylor from 2008 to 2015, and had a 65-37 record including winning a share of back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2013 and 2014.
Now Jackson has come out with a statement to explain his perspective.
“The Hue Jackson Foundation has been dedicated to fighting against ALL forms of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as other forms of racial and social bias,” Jackson wrote. “We have a clear understanding of the role that coaches and others who have a position of trust play in the lives of those they meet.
“We also know and understand the process of identifying risks, helping others to heal, and the importance of prevention. We believe that through the hiring of Coach Briles and the well-developed programs we have in place, this hire will be instrumental in teaching others the importance of knowing how to prevent victimization, proper reporting procedures, provide adequate resources to individuals who have been victimized and develop strong law enforcement partnerships within the community.”
Pleas Read this statement. #forgiveness #redemption#enlightenment #GramFam pic.twitter.com/XWstabSdll
— HueJacksonFoundation (@HueJacksonFDN) February 25, 2022
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.