In feeling obligated to address Tom Herman’s recent hire of former Baylor assistant director of football operations Casey Horny in this week’s column, it’s probably fair to acknowledge that what happened in Waco is personal to me.
As I’ve previously explained in detail, I was born in Waco. I lived there until I was 10 years old. My first college football game was in 1983 at the old Baylor Stadium when I watched the Bears and Aggies play to a 13-13 tie. My wife went to school at Baylor. So did my paternal grandparents. My father is actually a very notable Baylor alum.
When I was nine years old, my mom used to drop me off at Baylor Stadium and I’d buy an end zone ticket for $3 and I’d stay after the final whistle for more than hour collecting Dr. Pepper cups to take home. Two years after moving to Austin in 1988, I still used to pretend that I was Baylor point guard Michael Williams, replaying a 1988 NCAA Tournament loss to Memphis on a sport-court at our apartment complex countless times.
Hell, if you dig through boxes in my home, you’ll still find a James Francis/Robert Blackmon autographed game program from the 1989 Texas/Baylor game at DKR.
I have a lot of colors in my sports DNA, but I probably have as much green and gold in me as anything else. However, when we talk about the rape scandal that occurred under the watch of Art Briles and those that enabled one of the worst scandals in the history of college athletics, the reasons for this situation being supremely personal go beyond any of those truths.
It was less than a year ago, when a friend of one of the women that Baylor left hanging in the wind for years reached out to the Orangebloods staff to alert us about her friend’s story, a story that none of you probably know because the victim wants it that way. After fleeing the state of Texas after crimes were committed against her by one of Briles’ players, she just wanted the whole thing to go away.
Yet, no matter how far away she ran, she couldn’t escape what happened to her. While the rest of the world wanted Baylor to burn to the ground, she found herself sucked back into the vortex of the entire saga because of the details of her case. As it turns out, the monster that abused her became an eventual repeat offender and according to her friend, there was a paper trail in the immediate aftermath of the situation that would have brought the entire program down in a heap of misdeeds.
Yes, Baylor’s investigating firm Pepper Hamilton reached out to her for information on her situation, which I can personally verify after reviewing email exchanges that were turned over to Orangebloods. Meanwhile, a source close to the woman told us that the monster that abused her in Waco was now contacting her in her new state, threatening to harm her if she talked to anyone.
After years of running from her past, the past had caught up to her in a way that crashed her entire world and she had become suicidal. Suddenly, we were in a situation where our involvement in covering this story on a professional level was playing a part in her mental breakdown and it is one of the most haunting feelings I’ve ever experienced in my life. Nothing other than her well-being mattered when push came to shove and we just kind of backed off and let those better-prepared to handle such a complicated situation take over.
More than a year later, I have no idea if this woman is any closer to finding some sort of internal peace, but I rarely go more than a day or two before I’m reminded of her heartache. Even as I write this, my heart is breaking for her.
You’re damn right, this is personal for me and I will never deny it.
This is the story of just
one of the victims of the crime ring that existed under Briles. Just imagine for a minute all of the lives that have been altered or destroyed in the middle of all of this. Imagine all of the victims who only became victims because no one in an entire town or school thought so much as to ask a few questions when questions were warranted.
There was just too much inconvenience to the football team for anyone to care.
If we should have learned anything at all from what happened in Waco, it’s that we can’t ever ask enough questions when it comes to stories like this. One of the things Baylor counted on in the cover-up is that we would never care long enough to ever truly demand answers for what was happening behind the scenes.
The victims deserve more than that from us and if that proves to be an inconvenience to football-related thinking, well, too damn bad.
All of this brings us back to the hire of Horny, who was an top-level administration assistant to Briles and his coaching staff during the entirety of the rape scandal.
When Phil Bennett was bragging to alums that a soon-to-be-convicted-of-rape pass rusher (Sam Ukwuachu) was going to be on the field in 2015 pending a pesky little rape trial, Horny was Bennett’s top aide.
I can’t tell you that Horny had any role in what transpired in Waco, but I know he was there for all of it and I know that he was all-in on discrediting anyone or anything that tried to shine light on the accountability that his former boss still needs to own to this day.
I can’t tell you whether Horny truly feels remorse for his public support of Briles, although those who know him believe that he most certainly does, but I can tell you that it’s a fact that
he only took down those #Truthdontlie Tweets when there was a need to protect future employment.
We know there were other assistants under Briles that were involved in the scandal, but not so much as a single name outside of Briles has ever been given up by the school as it seeks to constantly protect conspirators more than it ever has protected the victims. That translated to evil remaining on the sidelines and behind the scenes for the school this season, despite whatever roles they might have played in what happened … because … well... because of football.
The lack of transparency from Horny’s old employer has put everyone in a position where the only accountability that is going to occur is the accountability that the public and media demand.
Only three schools (Texas, Arizona State and FIU) have dared to come within a 100-foot pole of anyone associated with the scandal and all three schools need to make large public statements about the vetting process that occurred that would allow bringing in anyone that was knee-deep in that scandalous window of time from start to finish. If one or two of the schools completely ignore the responsibilities they have to inform and protect the young women on their campuses, it shouldn’t be a license for the third to lower the bar for accountability.
No offense to anyone involved, but getting a vote of confidence from the liars in Waco that are giving out votes of confidence and protection to everyone on Briles’ staff (deserved or not) isn’t enough. If Horny has done nothing wrong and is worthy of us ignoring all the things we know, then just explain it to everyone as if it’s a matter that deserves to be discussed and not ignored.
For those that believe there’s nothing that Herman could say that to shelter his friend from the hungry wolves, well, just try us. Give us assurances. Explain the official position. Tell us why Horny is a guy for whom you’re willing to stand on the table.
In a moment like this when full transparency is needed, questions need to be asked and then they need to be answered. If comfort exists in making the hire, then it shouldn’t be difficult to discuss it, given the unique circumstances.
Texas needs to ask itself how the people in Waco would have handled the situation and then do the exact opposite.
It’s a matter of showcasing the school’s principles, rather than just talking about them.
Anything less that that, which doesn’t seem to be requesting too much if there’s nothing to hide, is just one more breach upon the souls of the victims whose lives were upended in Waco … a truth that should be personal to all of us that claim to care about what happened.
No. 2 – T-minus 50 hours until Signing Day ...
As days become hours and hours become minutes in the final homestretch of the 2017 recruiting season, there are a handful of things running through my mind.
a. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t expect a little more of an impact with Herman’s arrival than we’ve seen take place. I underestimated the brand hit that the Texas program has experienced in the last few years. I overestimated how much I thought a guy like Walker Little wanted to truly attend Texas. I thought peeling off state top 50 prospects from schools like Colorado, Missouri and Northwestern would be a piece of cake in the final weeks before NSD. Because of all those things, I thought a top 20-type class was more than reasonable. That so many things that I thought would occur have not is one of the stories of this class. It’s a loud and clear message about what work remains to be done.
b. The best gift that Charlie Strong gave Herman, at least on the surface, is enough young talent from the 2015 and 2016 classes in the program that very few critical areas of need exist, at least from a volume standpoint (i.e. the offensive line isn’t completely in shambles in every capacity and the quarterback position isn’t a total disaster). More than anything, this program needed at least one potential long-term answer at quarterback, a couple of talented running backs and pass rushers. Don’t get me wrong, an influx of elite talent across the board is still desired, but there aren’t a ton of red sirens going off because of the impact that the 2017 class will or won’t have on the 2017 season. Two of those three areas of need have been answered with four-star talent and if K’Lavon Chaisson signs with the Longhorns on Wednesday, the remaining area of need will receive a borderline five-star remedy.
c. With or without Chaisson, this is a solid class. Period. It’s not great, but it’s far from a disaster. While UT’s eight four-star commitments trails Oklahoma’s 18 four-star commitments, it’s one fewer than Oklahoma State, Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU and Kansas State combined. The problems that the Longhorns have right now in recruiting are rich folks' problems.
d. The importance of the 2015-16 classes, as well as the 2018 class, are enhanced because of the nature of signing a top 30-35-type class in 2017. It’s absolutely imperative that Herman be able to succeed with Charlie’s 2015-16 players or this program isn’t going to turn the corner before the end of the decade, while the 2018 class is the first class that the staff will truly be able to control with its own stamp. The good news is that the outlook for the top 2018 prospects in the state of Texas appears much better than it did/does for the 2017 guys.
No. 3– About Chaisson ...
It’s not that the Longhorn need Chaisson because the program badly needs someone with his skill set, it’s that they need at least 10 more guys just like him.
Along with linebacker commit Gary Johnson, Chaisson represents the highest end of prospects across the nation, which typically translates to about a 50-50 proposition in terms of landing a guy with eventual NFL talent.
Historic data shows that the rest of the four-stars in this class usually produce future NFL players at roughly half that rate (at best). The purpose of high-level recruiting is to land as many high-level of prospects, so that you’re not married to the shackles of depending on every big-time guy you sign to hit.
One of the beautiful aspects of the historic 2002 recruiting class is that it could withstand five-star washouts Bryan Pickryl (injuries), Marquise Johnson (test score) and Edorian McCulloch (brain) because it hit on Vince Young, Justin Blalock and Rod Wright. The Longhorns hit at exactly the 50-50 rate that you should expect to hit when you sign six big-time guys.
Chaisson’s talent level is such that he would rate as the player most likely to be an impact player in this entire class, which makes him far from an automatic sure-thing, but the closest thing to something like that you’re going to find.
That he also represents the most important prospect at the lone critical area of need in this class makes his importance even greater, but in the grand scheme of things, he’s only one of the first or second pieces out of 20 or so just like him at all position that Herman needs to land in the next few years.
No. 4 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns/recruiting …
... As far as encouraging Tweets in January go, this one will do.
... While Suchomel is sticking with his Texas prediction for Chaisson, I'm going to go other way and pick LSU. It just feels like this is the way most of the recruitments that haven't involved former UH commitments seem to be going in this year. Of course, I reserve the right to change my mind in the next two days, as information comes in.
... What is a recruiting lesson that everyone should have learned this year, if they didn't already know it? If you want to get a big-time prospect on campus for an official visit, it's best to make that happen before the final weekend of the year in recruiting.
.'.. He doesn't get talked about as much as some other players in this recruiting class, Temple pass rusher Taquan Graham is a guy that has a chance to develop into the player that everyone thinks Chaisson can be. He needs a couple of years of cooking in the oven, but he's a critical piece of this class.
... Rivals Big 12 recruiting class rankings as of Sunday night: Oklahoma (No.5), Baylor (No.33), Oklahoma State (No.34), Texas (No.36), Texas Tech (No.40), Iowa State (No.42), West Virginia (No.51), TCU (No.54), Kansas (No.55) and Kansas State (No.69)
.. Rivals Big 12 rankings by average star ranking as of Sunday night: 1. Oklahoma (3.63) 2. Texas (3.47) 3. Oklahoma State (3.11) 3. TCU (2.94) 5. Texas Tech (2.90) 6. Baylor (2.87), 7. Iowa State (2.86) 8. West Virginia (2.84) 9. Kansas (2.70) 10. Kansas State (2.50)
No. 5 – Programming update ...
After having a little setback in putting together the latest installment of the 2018 Lone Star Recruiting Top 100, I can confirm that the list will be released on Monday, while the final installment of the 2017 list will be released 24 hours later.
No. 6 – Buy or sell …
BUY or SELL: We end up with K'Lavon Chaison, Stephon Zabie, Ryan Johnson, Jordan Pouncey and Samuel Cosmi in the 2017 recruiting class?
(Sell) Three of those five are probably going to happen, but the smart money is against a five for five sweep.
BUY or SELL: Tom Herman joins a support group for Matt's El Rancho addicts?
(Buy) The city of Austin just has too much good food to be consumed. Every coach on the staff should be given photos of Charlie before he arrived in Austin and after he put on his freshman 15. All the chips and queso in this town will get to anyone if they blink for three months.
BUY or SELL: This has been the absolute dullest recruiting season in recent history for Texas. Say the last 20 years?
(Buy) It is what it is.
BUY or SELL: The new staff getting turned down by Polley, C. Miller, Gardiner, Odeyingbo, O. Miller, etc has more to do with their recruiting chops (or lack thereof) than Texas' product on the field the past 3 seasons.
(Sell) I think it has everything to do with 6-7, 5-7 and 5-7.
BUY or SELL: Horny stays on Herman's staff and is unaffected by the continued Baylor allegations?
(Buy) Texas has kind of painted itself in a corner at this point. Removing him now would be an admission of making a mistake and I don’t see that happening. I’m sure everyone is hoping this goes away, which means Herman is going to have to address it at some point, almost certainly on National Signing Day, especially after the newest allegations against Baylor came out on Friday.
BUY or SELL: Mike Perrin will remain AD for the remainder of the year?
(Sell) Unless something changes, the plan has always been to start the process of sorting this out in the spring with an answer certainly expected by the end of the year.
BUY or SELL: Connor Williams plays his way into a top 15 NFL pick?
(Buy) I don’t think that is outside the realm of possibilities at all.
BUY or SELL: Beau Hossler having a better career than Jordan Spieth.
(Sell) Forgive me for not selling my Spieth stock.
BUY or SELL: If you knew Jason had never seen The Godfather before you hired him, you'd have never even interviewed him at OB?
(Sell) Considering he’s a filthy Steelers fan, I’d say I’ve been overlooking his massive flaws since the first day I’ve known him. What’s not seeing the
The Godfather compared to that?
BUY or SELL: You already have a draft saved apologizing for the site going down on signing day?
(Sell) I probably should, I know. Rivals has been preparing for Wednesday for the last year. I’m hoping for the best.
BUY or SELL: You will change your avatar at least 4 times this week?
(Buy) I might change it that many times on Wednesday alone if I end up regretting the sell on the previous question.
BUY or SELL: Unlike his predecessor, Tom Herman figures out quickly how to get the ball to Devin Duvernay who leads all receivers in yard per catch and touchdowns. Collin Johnson leads the team in receptions.
(Buy) Get as much Devin Duvernay stock as you can get your hands on before the fall.
BUY or SELL: Stevie Wonder can see Andrew Jones is our best PG option?
(Buy). In case you didn’t know …
No. 7 – If you can’t take any more men’s basketball losses this season …
The Texas women’s basketball team won its 14th straight game on Sunday against No. 22 West Virginia.
In the process, the 10-0 start in conference play is the best start the Longhorns have ever had in the Big 12 and has put the team on the cusp of a top 10 ranking after starting the season 3-4 with losses to four top 10 ranked teams.
Beginning on Saturday, the Longhorns begin a two-week stretch that will see the team take on Big 12 kingpin Baylor twice.
Is this team ready for the deep end of the swimming pool?
I don’t know that I have the answer, but it seems like a more compelling storyline to follow rather than wondering if the men’s team will ever stop taking two steps forward, followed by three steps backwards.
Just a thought.
No. 8 – I’ve changed my mind …
After a week of reconsideration, I’ve decided I’m taking Team Brady over Team Ryan in Super Bowl LI because there’s never been a day in Ryan’s life when he’s been better than the guy he’ll be facing in the biggest game of his career.
It’s not that I don’t respect the Falcons, it’s just that I don’t know that the Patriots are going to be denied when the team is so close to sticking it up Roger Goodell’s backside.
What I’m really saying is that I just can’t see Brady being denied.
Patriots 34 Atlanta 24
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… I won’t go so far as to say I’ve never been so happy to be wrong in my life, but I’m pretty pleased that my lack of expectations for the men’s side of the Australian Open were demolished with the arrival of a Federer/Nadal final. Are you kidding me? Where in the hell did that come from? For Roger Federer to obtain his 18th major title five years after winning No.17 … well … it might be the closest thing to Jack winning The Masters in 1986 as the sport of tennis will ever have.
… The Williams sisters are the greatest story in American sports history. This weekend might have been the final chapter of the Disney movie that will eventually be made about the two.
… I can’t get enough of the Golden State Warriors. It’s just a level of basketball that we just haven’t ever seen a lot of. What they did to the Clippers on Saturday night was almost unnatural.
… Joel Embiid Tweet of the Weekend
… So, this is what it’s like to be a Liverpool fan? It’s a little like being a Dallas Cowboys fan.
… I watched some of the Pro Bowl on Sunday night. I feel so dirty and desperate.
No. 10 - And finally …
This is a present that the entire world can truly enjoy. Thank you, Chris Pronger.
