Baylor AD Mack Rhoades investigated for sideline incident with player, assistant: Source – The Athletic
Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades was recently investigated by the school for a sideline incident involving a Baylor assistant coach and player, a school source confirmed to The Athletic on Friday.
Rhoades, who is currently serving as the chairperson for the College Football Playoff selection committee, is alleged to have taken exception to a gold, long-sleeved undershirt worn by Baylor tight end Michael Trigg during the Bears’ home game against Arizona State on Sept. 20. According to the source, during the first quarter, Rhoades grabbed Trigg by the shirt on the sideline and, while using an expletive, questioned why he was wearing it. The rest of the team was wearing dark-colored undershirts.
Members of the coaching staff, including head coach Dave Aranda and tight ends coach Jarrett Anderson, later had heated words with Rhoades about the incident, the source said. The incident had a lingering impact on Trigg that day, according to the source.
“Trigg got rattled,” the source said. “It kind of (messed) him up.”
Outkick.com, which first reported the incident, said that it obtained multiple human resources complaints that were filed as a result of the incident.
Rhoades, when reached by The Athletic, declined comment on Friday. A CFP spokesperson told The Athletic it had no comment on the matter and Rhoades remains chair of the selection committee.
Trigg’s father, Michael Trigg Sr., said his son wore the yellow undershirt because he had a shoulder injury and the long-sleeved shirt covered his brace. Trigg Sr. said his son asked for his parents to fly to Waco, Texas, to speak with Rhoades after the incident, but they decided against it.
“(My son) wanted us to change our flight home to come talk to (Rhoades) on Monday, but Coach Anderson said he’s going to handle it,” Trigg Sr. told The Athletic. “He advocated for him during the game. Everything’s good now. I don’t want anything to disrupt his football.”
In a statement through a school spokesperson, Baylor acknowledged that Rhoades was investigated for an incident, though did not offer specifics.
“More than a month ago, Baylor University received reports of an incident involving Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Mack Rhoades. These reports were thoroughly reviewed and investigated in accordance with University policies, appropriate actions were taken, and the matter is now closed,” the statement read. “Mr. Rhoades has expressed regret over his emotions and recognizes his conduct at that moment was not reflective of our Christian mission and values. Mr. Rhoades is an important part of our Baylor Family, and we look forward to his continued leadership of our Athletics Department. We remain committed to ensuring a respectful and accountable environment for all of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff.”
The school source said that, in the days following the incident, Rhoades apologized to Trigg, face-to-face, for his behavior.
“What bothers me is, Baylor is a Christian school,” Trigg Sr. said. “For someone in the administration to have those choice words for a student-athlete? And that’s the first interaction you’ve ever had with one of your better players? That doesn’t make sense to me.”
Trigg Sr. said he was grateful that Anderson was there to defend his son. “I’m glad Coach Anderson was there. He’s a hell of a dude. When you see your son in school you want someone to advocate for him.”
Trigg Sr. said his family just wants to move forward from the incident.
Rhoades has been Baylor’s athletic director since 2016. He arrived following the ouster of then-school president Kenneth Starr, athletic director Ian McCaw and head football coach Art Briles following an investigation into sexual assault allegations that engulfed the school and football program.
Rhoades, who had stints as athletic director at Missouri, Houston and Akron before his arrival at Baylor, hired Matt Rhule, who took the Bears to a Big 12 title game appearance and Sugar Bowl appearance in 2019. After Rhule departed for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, Rhoades hired Aranda, who is 36-34 in his five-plus seasons at the school. Aranda led Baylor to a Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl victory in 2021, but the program has been under scrutiny from fans and alumni for underperforming since then. The Bears are 5-4 this season.
In 2022, Rhoades signed a 10-year contract extension through 2032. Baylor president Linda Livingstone also signed a 10-year contract extension less than two months later.
Trigg, a fifth-year senior who is in his second year at Baylor, is considered a potential early-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft and one of the top tight end draft prospects. The former USC and Ole Miss transfer currently leads FBS tight ends with 607 receiving yards and is tied for the most receiving touchdowns among tight ends (six). He’s third among FBS tight ends with 40 receptions. Trigg is the third-ranked draftable tight end, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
On Friday, Trigg was named one of eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, which goes to college football’s top tight end each year.
Anderson is in his second season as Baylor’s tight ends coach. He was a longtime offensive assistant at TCU under Gary Patterson, working on the Horned Frogs’ staff from 1998 to 2021.
— Chris Vannini contributed to this story.
