Baylor Bears interim head coach Jim Grobe spoke at Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday and was incredibly tone-deaf to the university’s problems.
Jim Grobe swung and missed badly at Big 12 Media Days when he failed to recognize the problems at Baylor that led to him replacing Art Briles on an interim basis.
The sexual assault scandal that cost Briles, athletic director Ian McCaw and president Ken Starr their jobs must have been forgotten by Grobe on Tuesday when he defended the school’s culture.
Grobe said, “We don’t have a culture of bad behavior at Baylor University.”
If that’s not the most tone-deaf thing, I’m not sure what is.
Grobe: “We don’t have a culture of bad behavior at Baylor University.” Come on.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 19, 2016
Baylor has a culture of bad behavior and that’s the reason why he has a job again. How does he not get that?! It’s one thing to defend your new employer, but to go to an extreme length like that is incredibly insensitive, tone-deaf and flat-out wrong.
Even worse, this comment came moments after he spoke about former Baylor coach Grant Teaff convincing him to come to Baylor to take the job and how he could change the culture.
If there’s not a culture of bad behavior why would he need to change it?
Grobe is completely off the mark here.
Grobe says reason he came to Baylor was Grant Teaff. “We talk about changing the culture. That’s not about the (current) players at Baylor."
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) July 19, 2016
Those comments may not even be the worse thing Grobe said at Big 12 Media Days. Grobe also thinks the issues plaguing Baylor University are similar issues “most” universities are dealing with.
NO! They are not!
Grobe: “I would guess most universities are having some of the same issues we had at Baylor.” Uh, no Jim.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 19, 2016
All of the guys hired to clean things up at Baylor have said ridiculously stupid things this week. The new prez, the new AD, the new coach.
— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) July 19, 2016
I was of the majority opinion who believed Baylor made a fine hire in bringing in Grobe to try to steer the team back on the road after the fallout from the Pepper Hamilton report. However, these comments made today at Big 12 Media Days have me regretting my words and I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that.
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Grobe will only be at Baylor for one year, but whoever new athletic director Mack Rhoades hires next will have to admit there’s a problem first otherwise he won’t be able to solve it.