Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades is taking a leave of absence due to personal reasons, the university said.

The 60-year-old will also be replaced by Arkansas’ Hunter Yurachek as CFP selection committee chairman, the organization said on Thursday.

Earlier this week, the school received new allegations about Rhoades. Still, they are not related to the football program or a previous incident with tight end Michael Trigg, associate athletic director of communications Brent Ingram told The Athletic.

According to a previous report by the outlet, Rhoades was alleged to have been involved in a heated incident between the player and an assistant coach regarding an undershirt during a game in September against Arizona State.

A source told The Athletic that Rhoades was investigated and later apologized to the tight end.

Following the report, Baylor released a statement of its own regarding the investigation.

“More than a month ago, Baylor University received reports of an incident involving Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades,” the statement said. “These reports were thoroughly reviewed and investigated in accordance with University policies, appropriate actions were taken, and the matter is now closed.

“Mr. Rhoades has expressed regret over his emotions and recognized his conduct at the moment was not reflective of our Christian mission and values.”

Rhoades has been the Baylor athletic director since 2016. He is currently under a 10-year contract which he signed in 2022.

On Monday night, Baylor captured its first men’s basketball national title as they beat Gonzaga  86-70 at Lucus Oil Stadium.

Before the contest, the Gonzaga Bulldogs were favored to win the national title and complete the first perfect season since 1976. However, things went differently as Baylor reigned victorious. Throughout the game, the Baylor Bears dominated and never fell behind Gonzaga. There weren’t questionable calls, and it wasn’t a buzzer-beater. Simply put, Baylor played incredibly well, they were the better team, and their win was one of the most impressive runs in recent NCAA history.

On Monday, Jared Butler, McCio Teague, Adam Flager and Davion Mitchell combined to finish with 69 points. Butler, who scored 22 points and drained four 3-pointers, won the Final Four Most Outstanding Player award. The Bulldogs shot 51% from the field but couldn’t overcome its 14 turnovers or Baylor’s 16 offensive rebounds and 16 second-chance points. Not only that, but the Bears also made 44% of their threes and won every individual matchup.

Though the Baylor Bears were not expected to win, they had their historic moment with confetti, the camera, the fans, and the city. Last year, Baylor won 23 games in a row and was likely to enter as the top seed in the NCAA tournament if it had not been canceled. Since that cancelation, Baylor brought back the key players that contributed to that run and went for it all this season.

While the Bears started strong winning their first 18 games of the season, they were overshadowed by Gonzaga which seemed capable of completing a perfect season. Additionally, Baylor’s return from the three-week pause attributed to COVID-19 health and safety protocols did not seem promising. However, their losses after returning helped the team refocus for their playoff run.

Baylor ended the 2020-21 season as the best team in America, and as champions and have a great underdog story that will be told for years to come.

This year’s March Madness, filled with upsets, shockers and Cinderella runs, is coming close to an end.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has now reached the Final Four, as two weeks of hard fought basketball had lead to three final games being played on Saturday (semi finals) and Monday (championship). Each region now has a champion, with Gonzaga (30-0) winning the West, UCLA (22-9) winning the East, Baylor (26-2) winning the South and Houston (28-3) winning the Midwest. These four teams will now battle it out to see who emerges as a national champion.

The first matchup, with a scheduled tip off of 5:14 pm on April 3, pits the No. 1 seed Baylor Bears of the South against the No. 2 seed Houston Cougars of the Midwest. The Bears have been dominant throughout the year, ranking within the top five in the AP poll during the course of the regular season. Despite falling short in the Big 12 tournament, they have cruised through the South region, winning all their games by nine or more points. They defeated No. 3 seed Arkansas in the Elite Eight, 81-72, to reach the Final Four. Led by strong defense, with an average of 17.3 forced turnovers per game in the tournament, as well as leading the nation in three-point shooting (41.1%), the Bears will be a tough out.

However, they go up against a Houston team that was top five in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the only team in the nation to do so. After a scare against No. 10 seed Rutgers in the second round, the Cougars have righted the ship and defeated No. 12 seed Oregon State, 67-61, to reach the Final Four. The Cougars’ slow-tempo style is also built to defeat a faster paced Baylor team. This matchup will be a very entertaining clash.

The second game, tipping off at 8:34 pm, is between the No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West and the No. 11 seed UCLA Bruins of the East. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, and for good reason – they are (until proven otherwise) the best team in college basketball. They chase history this season, as they remain unbeaten with a 30-0 record. With two more wins they would become the eighth ever undefeated national champion, and the first since 1976. The Bulldogs have shown no sign of weakness in the tournament, blowing out opponents left and right, capped off by a 85-66 defeat of No. 6 seed USC for the West regional championship. The Bulldogs have a stacked roster, with sophomore forward Drew Timme leading the way with 21.3 points per game in the tournament. Along with Timme are senior forward Corey Kispert as well as five-star freshman point guard Jalen Suggs. Coming into this Final Four matchup as 14-point favorites, Gonzaga will be the ultimate test for any team looking for a championship.

That being said, never count out a Cinderella story, and that’s exactly what exists in the UCLA Bruins. From First Four to Final Four, the Bruins have an impressive resume of wins this tournament, most notably No. 2 seed Alabama in the Sweet 16 (88-78 in OT), and No. 1 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight (51-49). The Bruins are led by sophomore guard Johnny Juzang, who leads all players with 108 points scored in the tournament. UCLA will look to keep the game low-scoring, as they did against Michigan. They will have to keep the high-powered Gonzaga offense in check if they hope to have a chance in this game.

With history on the line, major upsets still possible, and exciting matchups ahead, this should be an entertaining final weekend of March Madness.

Ex-Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman was found not guilty of raping another student.

After two hours of deliberation, the Waco, Texas, jury acquitted the 26-year-old of the 2016 sexual assault allegations.

The accuser claimed to be intoxicated when Oakman assaulted her. She said she told the former star that she wanted to leave his duplex but he refused to let her. But Oakman’s attorneys claimed that the two chose to be together that night and had a previous relationship.

“The jury rejected the state’s narrative and concluded that the state had failed to prove this was a non-consensual encounter,” Oakman’s attorney, Alan Bennett, said. “Shawn and his family are so appreciative of the jury’s careful attention to and thoughtful consideration of the evidence. In my 29 years of courtroom experience, I have never experienced a more emotional celebration when a verdict was read.”

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This isn’t Oakman’s first run-in with the law. He originally transferred to Baylor from Penn State following arrests on charges of disorderly conduct, harassment and retail theft after he tried to run off with a convenience store chicken sandwich and grabbed a female store clerk by the wrist. He was also accused of being physically abusive to a woman in January of 2013. Neither incident was presented in the case but may have been if he was convicted.

These current allegations served to derail the 26-year-old’s football career. He was once projected to be a mid-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft but his arrest led to him going undrafted. They came at a time when Baylor was being shamed for their response to sexual assault allegations against students and athletes.

In December 2014, Oakman returned to Baylor for his senior years despite being slotted as a high-round pick in the 2015 draft. In 2018, he’d have to settle for a Champions Indoor Football team in North Dakota.

Jim Grobe’s first impression as Baylor’s interim coach at Big 12 Media Days was not a particularly positive one for the university, whose image is still somewhat tarnished.

Interim Coach Jim Grobe on Baylor’s Culture: ‘We Have Quality Kids’

Following an awkward press conference Tuesday morning, Grobe returned in the afternoon and clarified his views on the culture surrounding sexual assault that has caused a stir on campus in recent months.

“I have to talk about what I’ve found since I’ve been at Baylor, not what happened before I got there because obviously there was a problem in the culture dealing with these issues. That’s why we don’t have a president, an (athletics director) and a football coach and some staff members that were released,” Grobe said. “The only thing I can talk about is to let you know that since I’ve been at Baylor, the kids that are on our football team are really, really good kids. That’s what I’ve seen.”

The former Wake Forest football coach continued: “When you talk about a culture, you kind of throw everybody under a blanket. I can only talk about what I’ve seen with our team since I’ve gotten here. We have a lot of quality, quality kids and I think we’ve got some moms and dads that are upset because when you start talking about a culture, that tends to say everybody.”

Earlier, Grobe, 64, appeared to struggle to adequately describe the fallout from the sexual assault scandal as misbehavior of a small proportion of former players, saying, “we don’t have a culture of bad behavior at Baylor University.” He then added a somewhat controversial statement, saying, “the problems we have dealt with at Baylor are probably problems at every university in the country.”

The origin of this upheaval at Baylor is that there was systematic failure in the manner players were recruited, monitored and disciplined, leading to several women becoming victims. The summary Baylor released publicly from the Pepper Hamilton law firm’s investigation used the word culture numerous times in its critique of the systems Baylor had in place to deal with sexual assault allegations. Within just a few days, the school severed ties with football coach Art Briles, athletics director Ian McCaw and school president Kenneth Star. The university is now undergoing huge reform at the administrative level to become compliant with Title IX.

’m just observing right now, but what I do know in talking to the staff, the strength coaches, the academic service people, we don’t have a lot of kids that are in trouble all the time,” Grobe said. “Do we have the same kind of problems that I’ve dealt with for 40 years? Being late to class, missing weights, those sorts of things. But the egregious stuff, it wasn’t dealt with properly in the past, not having procedures in place to deal with those type problems I think has been rectified. We’ve changed a lot of things. Certain issues go straight to Title IX. We’ve had training with Title IX. Our coaches are much more prepared than they’ve ever been to deal with these problems. My real point is, was there a problem before I got to Baylor with the way these issues were dealt with? Absolutely. I want to support the good kids in our program right now who are doing the right things.”

The three players who attended the conference on behalf of Baylor acknowledged that this has been a difficult time, and that Briles’ removal was a shock for them. Center Kyle Fuller stated the explanation he received for the coaching change “wasn’t satisfactory at all.”

“We’re down right now, but we’re going to built it back up again,” quarterback Seth Russell said.

Baylor’s athletes will undoubtedly continue to deal with questions regarding the culture of sexual violence on campus, particularly with regards to the football team.

“I don’t think we have to explain ourselves. We just have to know ourselves,” cornerback Ryan Reid said. “Everybody on that team is not what people make them out to be. All my teammates are great teammates. They’re great on the field and off the field. We all strive to make great decisions. People don’t have to explain themselves to nobody. Live your life and try to do the right thing every day and you’ll be OK.

“We have to worry about the season coming. We can’t worry about why this or why that. That throws us off what we cam here to do, win football games, win the Big 12, contend for a national championship. That’s what we need to focus on.”

This will surely prove difficult, given that Baylor has an interim head coach and only 70 scholarship players, 15 fewer than the NCAA limit. Grobe added he didn’t plan on changing much of the university’s approach to football.

WINSTON SALEM, NC – OCTOBER 25: Head coach Jim Grobe of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons watches on from the sidelines against the Clemson Tigers during their game at BB&T Field on October 25, 2012 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Enough is enough. Art Briles should be fired by Monday. Hell, he should’ve been fired a month ago.

Briles, is still the current head football coach at Baylor University, but his new title reads “suspended, with the intent to terminate.”

That was the moniker stamped atop Briles name by Baylor University officials May 25, in the wake of the sexual assault scandal that boiled over after the announcement that three, female, former students levied a lawsuit against Baylor for violating their Title IX rights.

Twenty four days later, Briles’ new title remains, with whispers that he may return to the old one.

A move to terminate Briles now, as Baylor has stated is its “intention,” would be best for both parties. Briles would be permitted to begin repairing his image and resume and Baylor could look like they finally cleaned house.

Yes, many people will complain that the process took too long, or that Briles doesn’t deserve another job in college football, but at least the band-aid could finally be ripped from the wound after being slowly peeled for more than three weeks.

Briles deserves plenty of blame.

College football coaches who win big, in “big” places, know anything and everything that is going on in their towns. It doesn’t matter if it’s an incident that takes place on campus, off campus or rumors buzzing around campus.

The coaches hear about it first.

It was no different for Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden and you can bet it was the same for the ‘Ol Ball Coach’ Steve Spurrier.

It is their business to know exactly what is going on with their players and if Briles didn’t know what was happening with his team, that is an indictment in itself. But, of course, not nearly as deplorable as if he was privvy to the details of the sexual assaults and did nothing.

He could be a scapegoat. That is a possibility, but again, given the reach of these high-priced and high-powered head coaches, I would venture to guess Briles network spreads as wide as his offense.

The sooner Baylor moves on from Briles, Briles can move on from Baylor.

The University and community, in Waco, Texas, can withdraw from playing the part of the nation’s punching bag and, with a little help, they can begin to rebuild.

Last week rumors were flying that there was a minority, but a strong minority of Briles supporters within Baylor’s Board of Regents, the body voting on the coach’s future with (or without) the University.

Now this week Briles fired and then rehired his attorney in a matter of days. It is just getting more and more chaotic by the moment.

We want off this sick, twisted, roller-coaster ride overseen by Baylor’s Board of Regents.

And if the Bears ever want to run out of the tunnel and out onto the field at that new, state-of-the-art stadium with dignity, they should be reaching for the emergency brake too.

Despite its previous claim to be the lone conference that settles its championship debate on the field, last season it was hard to discern if “one true champion” emerged from the Big 12 Conference.

Now we won’t have to wonder.

After a forgettable week for the Big 12 , marred by the mass firings at Baylor University on the heels of its sexual assault controversy, fans of the league finally have something to celebrate.

The conference voted to reinstate a conference title game and the results in favor were unanimous.

Following a couple years in College Football Playoff limbo, the Big 12 has boosted its chances of fielding a final four team by an exorbitant margin with the institution of a conference championship slated to begin in early December, 2017.

The conference contracted in 2011 from 14 teams to 10 teams, after losing Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC and Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac 12, creating the current misnomer.

Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby thinks the addition of a championship game could payout nearly $30 million in revenues for the Big 12, as well as boost the case for a Big 12 team to compete in the CFP.

Bowlsby said the conference would have the best position of any in college football, given that every team plays each other in the regular season and now will hold a winner-take-all matchup.

Oklahoma made the CFP last season despite not deciding the conference champion with a one-game playoff, but some would argue that Oklahoma State may have had a chance to sneak in if only the were granted the opportunity of playing in a conference title matchup.

“We were unified about it, based on what it would do for our competitive position and what it would do for our financial position,” Oklahoma President and Big 12 board chairman David Boren told ESPN’s Jake Trotter.

Boren was also unwilling to deny rumors that the Big 12 is looking to restore the legitimacy to its name by adding another two teams to the mix.

“We will continue to seriously look at that possibility,” Boren said.

Did you think the J.J. Watt 61-inch box jump was impressive? Now, look at Shawn Oakman‘s 40-inch jump with 70-pound dumbbells, courtesy of Bleacher Report.

Now, while Watt is super human, Oakman’s jump is thoroughly impressive when you consider the weight he is holding. The Baylor standout, who is predicted to go high in the 2016 NFL Draft, is just a ridiculously scary mixture of size, at 6’9″ and 280 pounds, and athletic ability.

I mean do you really want that face, which became a meme, barreling towards you.

In two years with Baylor, he had 84 total tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 13 sacks — eleven in 2014 alone — and five forced fumbles. The guy is an absolute beast and he is only getting better with time.

Well it looks like another 14-seed has beat a three-seed, with Georgia State coming from behind to win 57-56 against Baylor. But the most entertaining part of the story has to be Georgia State’s coach Ron Hunter.

Everyone learned he was a little nuts after winning the Sun Belt Conference and tearing his achilles during the celebration.

As a result, he remained on a stool for majority of today’s game: well, the only time he really got out of it was when he fell. After being down in the first half, his team mounted an incredible comeback, which was capped off by his son, R.J. Hunter, hitting the game winning shot: sending his father crashing onto the floor.

Of course, he was a good sport about it.

https://twitter.com/DanWolken/status/578649913480843265

But that did not stop people from wonderfully photoshopping the image.

https://twitter.com/rnagda5010/status/578656937178505217

In the locker room following the win, the coach was quite lively: even sending out a Vine message to Obama, who, along with the entire world, picked them to lose in the round of 64.

Many analysts have been claiming that Texas, for all intents and purposes, is out of the NCAA tournament, but this did not hinder play during their intense match up against rival 14th seed Baylor.

In overtime, a contested ball resulted in incidental contact between Baylor’s Royce O’Neale and Texas’ Isaiah Taylor: the pushing and shoving then led to a bench clearing scuffle, which saw a total of seven players ejected — four from Texas and three from Baylor. In both professional and college basketball, anytime players leave the bench during an incident they are automatically tossed from the game.

The overtime would end on a game-winner by Isaiah Taylor giving Texas a 61-59 victory. But the drama did not stop there. Instead of calmly shaking hands, the two sides proceeded to stare each other down as Texas fans booed the Baylor players off the court.

Texas coach Rick Barnes commented on this very unsportsmanlike conduct, “When the game’s over, players can’t do that. I told Jon Holmes, ‘You better be bigger than any situation like that.’ I don’t care what happens. You can’t do that.'”

According to various coverage, no players will be suspended following the game.