As new Baylor head coach Matt Rhule was closing strong with a great recruiting class, former Baylor head coach Art Briles picked National Signing Day to drop his libel lawsuit against University officials.
Briles’ lawyer, Ernest Cannon, gave notice Wednesday morning, and the suit was dropped during a court hearing in Llano County.
Cannon told KWTX in Waco, “All he wanted was his good name. I’m sorry we didn’t get this resolved for all the Baylor people, so they could know the truth. A man can only carry so much.”
Cannon added, “Art wants some peace in his life for him and his family, and to put as much distance between him and his family and Baylor as he can, and I wholeheartedly agree with him.”
The Baylor football program took off under Briles, leading the program to its first bowl game in 16 years, earned its first Big 12 title and had Robert Griffin III become the University’s first Heisman Trophy winner.
But, Baylor University fired Briles in May following an independent law firm’s investigation into the program’s and university’s handling of sexual assault accusations involving football players. Briles insisted he never knew about several of the rape accusations involving his former players.
Briles had been seeking more than $1 million in damages for the libel and slander that he claims cost him and job and possibly his career. The three Baylor regents in the lawsuit were Chairman Ron Murff, board member David Harper, and board member J. Cary Gray.
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