I'm not going to pretend to know the history of Mount Vernon football. I can only tell you this is the second time the Texas high school team has been placed on the national stage, although the first time around -- recalled as the high school home of Dandy Don Meredith -- was a lot more fun.
I also don't find it necessary to spend 750 words moralizing on the curious decision to hand Art Briles the reins of this program. Most of it is all too obvious. How do you decide having this man walking the halls of your high school is a great look?
The announcement that the ousted Baylor coach had taken the Mount Vernon job came late Friday afternoon, perhaps someone's hope that by the time everyone returned from Memorial Day weekend they would have moved on to bigger things.
We already had seen that Briles' connection to the sexual assault scandal at Baylor had rendered him an impossible hire at the professional level (the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats pursued him, then backed off under pressure) and in the college game (he was briefly discussed for Southern Miss' offensive coordinator job before outrage from school supporters killed it).
If this is the case -- if the man is viewed as someone you don't want tied to pros, or college athletes and their programs -- how is it that seven members of the Mount Vernon school board decided unanimously that this was a really good idea?
That's what puzzles me the most. What was the goal here? Is there a longing to have ESPN satellite trucks parked outside the high school gates? Have they wondered why The New York Times does not cover their season opener with Bonham?
If it is simply winning football games at all costs, they may have achieved their goal. Mount Vernon went 8-4 last year. Without knowing the name of a single player or number of returning starters or anything else, I can say that Briles is likely to do better.
But I'm sure 100 other coaches in the state of Texas, deserving of their first head-coaching chances, might do the same, and you wonder how they feel about Briles receiving this opportunity instead.
This is not a redemption story. Art Briles received unspecified millions in the settlement of his contract with Baylor. He doesn't need a chance to make amends, and he won't be given that opportunity, anyway. If he tries to use success as a high school coach as any kind of platform, who's going to listen to him?
I have never thought Briles to be the face of evil in college football, to be the uncaring pariah that the multiple rape charges -- some prosecuted, others dropped -- rendered him alongside president Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw.
But he has to live with reality. A lawsuit settled in 2017 alleged 52 rapes perpetrated by 31 players. A two-year NCAA investigation is expected to conclude in the next few months, and the story will be relived once more.
Does Briles think by hiding in the piney woods of east Texas he can escape?
Briles has to live with his quotes, too. Remember, "Those are some bad dudes. What was she doing around those guys?"
Not exactly the kind of thing you would want for a first reaction to rape allegations from your high school head coach, is it?
Remember Briles' interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi.
"I made mistakes. I did wrong. There were some bad things that happened on my watch. I was the captain of the ship. The captain of the ship goes down with it," Briles said.
Like Captain Nemo, Briles has resurfaced 103 miles from Dallas. There are some that make more money, but how many people have bigger jobs than the head football coach? Who becomes a larger symbol for the town's strength of character?
Residents already have expressed dismay that there was essentially no public discussion of this matter before the hire was made. Out of the blue, Art Briles now represents the town of Mount Vernon. Not everyone is going to be thrilled with that.
In the statement released by the school board, Briles said he had learned from success and failure. His success, both as a high school coach and later at Baylor, is undeniable. But how does anyone look past his failure and say, "We'll ride with the success, this feels like a good fit"?
I don't know what they're thinking, but with this hire, we all know exactly what Meredith would say about his old hometown.
Turn out the lights. The party's over.
Sports on 05/29/2019