MOUNT VERNON, Texas — Art Briles was back at his roots Monday, coaching a high football team in Texas after a season in Italy and more than three years after the two-time Big 12 champion coach was fired by Baylor in the wake of a sexual assault scandal.
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Briles is now coaching at Mount Vernon High School, a school just off Interstate 30 in east Texas between Dallas and the Arkansas line.
He hasn't coached high school in 20 years, after winning four state championships in Stephenville.
While expressing his gratitude about being back in Texas, where all of his coaching career happened before he left for Italy, the Briles, 63, didn't discuss his time at Baylor or departure from the school.
The coach had media availability for about 20 minutes following Monday's practice to answer Tiger football-related questions.
Any Baylor-related questions would only be addressed in written statements.
A written statement from his attorneys was released before Briles' post-practice availability that said the coach "understands and appreciates the public's interest in what happened at Baylor."
His attorneys, however, said he couldn't talk about that because he is the defendant in a civil lawsuit.
The full statement from Briles' legal team can be read below.
Mt. Vernon Independent School District has stood behind its decision to hire Briles as head football coach despite some backlash the district initially faced.
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Monday was the only day before the beginning of football season that Briles was scheduled for media availability, according to the district's website.
