UH Football Coaching Hires Stir Controversy Among Fans

HOUSTON, TX — Hiring assistant football coaches at places like the University of Houston typically doesn't draw criticism like the announcement it made with two new hires over the weekend. Head coach Major Applewhite on Saturday announced the additions of Kendal Briles and Randy Clements.

For those not sure who they are, both men were on the staff at Baylor University before and during the days and months of rampant sexual assault and rape allegations by football players against female students.

Briles, who is the son of former Baylor and UH coach Art Briles, will serve as the team's associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Clements will be the run game coordinator and offensive line coach.

"We are excited to welcome Kendal, Randy and their families back to Houston. They have extensive knowledge of our program and its standards, and we know they will be the right fit," Applewhite said in a statement.

Kendall Briles is currently listed in an ongoing Title IX lawsuit against Baylor that states he told a recruit from Dallas, "Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at Baylor and they love football players."

The #HTownTakeover welcomes Kendal Briles (Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/QBs Coach) and Randy Clements (Run Game Coordinator/OL Coach) to its coaching staff.

Full iinfo: https://t.co/cFV55VlBw1 pic.twitter.com/dKlYD0qBNn

— #HTownTakeover (@UHCougarFB) January" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/UHCougarFB... 6, 2018

Kendal Briles Hired by @UHCougarFB as Associate Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach. Briles has a Morality clause in his UH Contract. He can be terminated if any negative Baylor info comes out that he has not disclosed. @abc13houston pic.twitter.com/Jccw2dSQbW

Here is the full statement from Applewhite regarding the hires.

"These hires, like all of our hires, are not taken lightly and we certainly delve into the background of all of our candidates to ensure who we hire fit the University of Houston standards. We did our due diligence with Kendal and Randy, and are not aware of any circumstances where either were directly implicated in any wrongdoing.

"Since leaving Baylor, both have taken on new employment opportunities and were successful members of coaching staffs, on and off the field. They have full knowledge of our University's standards and expectations for our coaching staff and our student-athletes. We look forward to growing our program and moving forward with both."

Of course, UH fans and haters chimed in on social media to either support the hire or claim the university will take a hit on this.

We will catch a LOT of heat for this. We can only hope these two young men have come clean about any roles they had in the sordid Baylor scandals. This scandal had 2 components: the rape and sexual abuse of young women and the cover up which left these women without hope of help.

— Mike (@UHFan79) January" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/UHFan79/st... 6, 2018

https://t.co/tN1Whzq9xN

— Maria D. Flores (@maxthecat1995) January" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/maxthecat1... 7, 2018

Image: Head coach Major Applewhite of the Houston Cougars watches warm up before playing against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at TDECU Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Thomas B. Shea/Getty Images)