Newly-Hired Strength Coach at Baylor Arrested on Prostitution Charge

In the course of a scandal-ridden two years, Baylor University fired then-coach Art Briles for his conduct in fostering an environment that looked the other way regarding sexual and domestic abuse charges, and at times actively discouraged victims from reporting incidents. In May 2016, Jim Grobe was hired to replace him, but much of his existing staff was retained because Grobe said he wanted to maintain continuity within the program. As the scandal continued to unfurl with multiple reports of alleged gang rapes committed by members of the football team, Baylor again cleaned house and hired Temple head coach Matt Rhule to lead the program last December. Over the weekend, Brandon Washington, a strength coach at Temple whom Rhule brought to Baylor, was arrested in a prostitution sting.

According to McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamar, Washington was arrested in a Waco hotel just after midnight Saturday morning in a sting operation and was charged with soliciting a prostitute, which is a class B misdemeanor in Texas. He posted a $1,000 bond later that morning and was released. A statement from Baylor and Rhule indicates Washington has been fired.

"After a full criminal background check was completed and cleared, Brandon Washington was recently hired as an assistant in the Football Strength and Conditioning area. Baylor was notified on February 4 of Brandon Washington's arrest and terminated his employment immediately that day."

"When we arrived at Baylor, we made a commitment to character and integrity in our program," Rhule said. "Brandon's actions are completely unacceptable. We will not tolerate conduct that is contradictory to these values."

If found guilty, Washington could face up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Baylor is looking at multiple federal Title IX lawsuits as a result of the school's failure to properly handle reports of sexual assault, including most recently a suit filed in January that alleges 52 rapes committed by 31 football players between 2011-2014.