The AFCA Coaches Convention happens every year right around the time of the national championship game and is regularly a place where coaches at every level of the game go to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, exchange ideas and (for some) find new jobs.
The 2018 edition of the convention is already underway in Charlotte, N.C. and features another fascinating set of talks by coaches around the country. Perhaps the most interesting of the bunch might be one with the rather obscure title of ‘Standing Strong / Game Management.’ Why might the average fan raise an eyebrow over such a seemingly routine subject? Well, the fact that scandal-riddled former Baylor coach Art Briles is set to address the room.
“It’s our responsibility to educate coaches,” AFCA executive director and former Louisiana Monroe head coach Todd Berry told The Athletic. “Certainly one of the things Coach Briles experienced, and one of the things I believe he’s going to share, is there are some things that happened and he can share an experience no one else can with our group, so that we can avoid issues down the road.
“While there are things you know in theory, the reality is you’re going to gain more from someone who experienced it, that knows what to look for.”
The news of Briles’ speaking engagement comes just days after there was a minor furor brought up over Houston coach Major Applewhite hiring his son Kendal Briles to be the Cougars’ new offensive coordinator. The elder Briles was reportedly involved in the coaching search at FCS Incarnate Word but has otherwise kept a fairly low profile after getting fired at Baylor in 2016 after numerous sexual assault allegations were brought against the football program.
Briles did briefly take a job in the CFL but the uproar the team faced that followed cost him the position after just a few hours.
While the Coaches Convention’s reasoning of trying to educate others may be sound, it remains puzzling why they would think inviting Briles would be a good idea after a law firm determined that the Baylor coaching staff chose not to report sexual assaults and Briles himself is at the center of several lawsuits. Either way, the normally sleepy Tuesday following the national title game will certainly be a lot more interesting up in Charlotte.