Matt Rhule says Baylor is learning from the past, not running from it

FRISCO, Texas — New Baylor coach Matt Rhule was peppered with questions about the fallout from the school’s sexual assault scandal at his first Big 12 media days appearance Tuesday.

But as he has been since the beginning of his tenure, Rhule was prepared to address the issue head-on, repeating his message that Baylor can’t hide from the circumstances that resulted in an entire leadership overhaul at the school, including the removal of former coach Art Briles in May 2016.

“We’re not running from the past, we’re learning from it,” Rhule said. “We’re committed to getting the wrongs of the past corrected.”

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Rhule, who came to Baylor after four seasons at Temple, likened himself to a “first responder” in helping the school deal with the cleanup from the Briles era, which is now the subject of multiple Title IX lawsuits and an NCAA inquiry. But he also made it clear he knew what he was getting into, saying he frequently tells fans that Baylor “wasn’t my only option.”

“I came to Baylor because I knew it was the right place for me,” Rhule said. “There’s a lot of pride, a lot of sadness but hopefully there’s hope we can have a great new future and respond to the things that have happened.”

Rhule has been proactive in addressing the sexual assault culture with his team at Baylor, an issue he said he confronted “day in and day out” at Temple. He also said he encourages recruits and their parents to ask about what happened and what Baylor is doing to fix its culture.

“If we can try to be part of the solution, we should be part of it,” he said.