STARKVILLE — Disgraced former Baylor head coach Art Briles was at a Mississippi State football open practice session on Monday.
Briles, who is the father-in-law of Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby, was fired by Baylor in 2015 for his role in an administrative cover-up of sexual assault allegations against football players. A 2017 lawsuit alleged at least 52 acts of rape by more than 30 Bears football players over several years.
Lebby, who was an assistant coach at Baylor from 2008 to 2016, was named by former Baylor student Dolores Lozano in a federal court filing as one of the coaches who failed to take action against running back Devin Chafin after he was reported for three instances of physical assault.
Lebby publicly defended Briles and played a part in the making and selling of #CAB (Coach Art Briles) t-shirts following Briles’ termination.
Lebby spoke of his relationship with Briles on the College GameDay Podcast in 2024, saying Briles is, “a man that I’ve known since the day I was born, and is somebody that, as I got into it from the football landscape and the philosophical side of it, is so much of who we are today.”
An MSU team spokesperson confirmed to The Dispatch that Briles is not involved with the program in any official capacity and stressed that he was strictly there as a family member.
The department issued a statement to the media on Monday, reading:
“Our football program and entire athletics department prides itself on being a family environment. Family members are welcome at practices with the understanding that team boundaries and focus are respected.”
The team rep also stated that Briles will not be on the sidelines or around the team on game days.
The Dispatch asked an athletic department spokesperson if there were guidelines for Lebby specifically related to Briles and his proximity to the program and facilities, and was issued the following statement:
“To reiterate our comment from Monday, our football program and entire athletics department prides itself on fostering a family environment. Our sport coaches and staff have long days and we encourage them to have their families around when possible and appropriate to be supportive. All family members are expected to be considerate and sensitive of team boundaries and focus, and they are respectful of that.”
Briles was seen wearing a Mississippi State hat and athletic gear while interacting with coaches during the open portion of practice.
Past controversy
There was controversy at Oklahoma in 2023 when Briles was seen with then-Sooners offensive coordinator Lebby and his family on the field after a win over SMU, followed by Lebby changing his social media profile picture to one of him and Briles together.
Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables and athletic director Joe Castiglione both said that they were caught off guard by the situation. Castiglione issued a statement after the game saying that the incident should not have happened based on boundaries that had been set.
Lebby later issued an apology, saying, “Joe Castiglione, Coach Venables both have addressed concerns with me, have talked to me about it, and again, can make sure that everybody understands that this is something that will not come up again.”
Briles has had multiple jobs working in football since his dismissal by Baylor. He was the head coach of Italian Football League team Estra Guelfi in both 2018 and 2022 and was head coach at Mount Vernon High School in Texas from 2019-2020.
Briles was hired as offensive coordinator by the Canadian Football League team Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017, but the offer was quickly rescinded. He was hired for the same role at Grambling State in 2022 only to resign a few days later after public backlash to the news.
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