Briles was fired by Baylor in 2016 amid a sexual assault scandal at the Baptist school and hasn’t coached since. He told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in August that he had been hired to coach an American football team, Guelfi Firenze, in Florence, Italy. Briles joined the team in October.
Baylor fired Briles after a school investigation found his football program operated as if it was “above the rules” and that staff interfered with assault investigations and witnesses.
Briles released a one-page letter defending himself against allegations that he ignored incidents of assault and ran a rogue football program full of miscreants. The letter was issued one day after the Texas Rangers, the state’s elite criminal investigations unit, said it had opened a preliminary probe into how Baylor handled assault reports over several years.
“I did not cover-up any sexual violence. I had no contact with anyone that claimed to be a victim of sexual or domestic assault. Anyone well-versed in my work as a coach knows that I strove to promote excellence, but never at the sacrifice of safety for anyone,” Briles wrote . “I did not obstruct justice on campus or off.”
In a lawsuit deposition in June, former athletic director Ian McCaw said he believed the university used the football program as a scapegoat for widespread problems at the university. School officials have denied McCaw’s claims.