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11/13 14:27 CST Mack Rhoades leaves role as CFP selection committee chairman
and takes leave of absence as Baylor AD
Mack Rhoades leaves role as CFP selection committee chairman and takes leave of
absence as Baylor AD
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades has stepped down from his role as
chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee and is taking a
leave of absence from the school while it investigates allegations against him.
While not going into additional details, Baylor vice president Jason Cook said
Thursday those allegations against Rhoades do not involve Title IX,
student-athlete welfare or NCAA rules violations, and do not involve the
football program. Cook said the university takes the allegations seriously and
is in the process of conducting a thorough investigation.
The school earlier in the day released a statement that said Rhoades began his
leave for "personal reasons" on Wednesday.
Rhoades didn't respond to a message from The Associated Press. He told ESPN he
initiated his leave from Baylor, but declined to explain why.
The new allegations received this week are not related to a report earlier this
month of an alleged verbal and physical altercation involving Rhoades, a
football player and an assistant coach. The school had previously said it
reviewed and investigated that matter, and that it was closed after appropriate
actions were taken.
Rhoades was in the second year of a three-year CFP appointment, and his first
season as chairman of the committee.
While confirming Rhoades was stepping down, the CFP didn't immediately say who
would take over as chairman and if his vacancy would be filled by someone else.
The committee chairman is the primary spokesperson for the CFP decision making
process, regularly appearing on prime-time ESPN bracket reveals as the college
football schedule gets closer to the postseason.
The selection committee, which has done two weekly rankings this season, was
already down from its standard 13 members to 12 after Randall McDaniel last
month stepped away from his role on the committee for personal reasons, though
the former Arizona State guard is expected to return next year.
Rhoades has been Baylor's athletic director since July 2016, when he took over
in the wake of the revelation of a sprawling sexual assault scandal that cost
two-time Big 12 champion football coach Art Briles his job. That NCAA case
against the Bears wasn't resolved until 2021, when the school was placed on
four years of probation.
Before Baylor, Rhoades was the AD at Missouri (2015-16), Houston (2009-15) and
Akron (2006-09).
Outkick had reported earlier this month that Rhoades approached tight end
Michael Trigg before a home game Sept. 20 against Arizona State and put his
hands on the player, while using an expletive in asking why he was wearing a
long-sleeved yellow shirt under his uniform. Then after the game, according to
the report, Rhoades was behind Trigg and some coaches when the AD allegedly
grabbed one of the assistants and verbally accosted him.
___
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