Count Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones among those firmly supportive of former Baylor coach Art Briles, who has indicated he's confident he'll be coaching again next season.
Briles has been touring NFL training camps and visited the Cowboys' camp Tuesday in Oxnard, Calif.
"I will vouch for him as a person," Jones said Tuesday, per the Dallas Morning News. "He's top quality as a person. I'd want my grandson, if he had the chance, to play for him."
A series of sexual-assault allegations brought against Baylor students, including football players, brought not only Briles and his coaching staff under scrutiny, but the school's administration as well. A review by the Pepper Hamilton law firm concluded that failures in handling claims of sexual assault extended from the coaching staff through the athletic department and ultimately to the school's inadequate compliance with federal Title IX requirements. Baylor moved to fire Briles in May. He and the school announced they had reached a settlement in June. Briles was replaced by interim coach Jim Grobe.
Briles said he intends to make himself available this winter when college and pro jobs open.
"Reality is reality," Briles said. "What I've got to do is redefine myself and start a new chapter, and that's what I'm doing."
Getting back into coaching might not be easy for Briles. An athletic director would be hard-pressed to sell a Briles hire to a school president, much less a student body or a fan base, given the negative publicity that would come with such a move.
Jones, however, isn't turning his back on the 60-year-old coach.
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