Baylor fires staff member, reportedly for sending 'inappropriate' text messages

Yet another member of the Baylor football staff has lost his job.

The school confirmed that it has fired DeMarkco Butler, the program’s recently-hired associate director for football operations. Butler, who was brought on board by Bears’ first-year head coach Matt Rhule less than a month ago, was removed from his position for sending “inappropriate text messages” to a teenager, per KWTX.

The person who received the messages from Butler is an adult under Texas law, a Baylor official told KWTX.

 

From KWTX:

While Butler was let go because of inappropriate texts to a teenager, a school official indicated they were sent to an individual who was an adult under Texas statute.

When asked about the firing Monday, David Kaye, Baylor’s Director of Athletics Communications said in a statement, “DeMarkco Butler is no longer employed by Baylor University. As a personnel matter, we have no further comment.”

Butler, 28, was hired in February after previously serving as director of football operations at Western Illinois, where he earned his master’s degree while working for the WIU program as a graduate assistant. He played football for D-III Monmouth College (Illinois) and graduated in 2010.

Butler is the second staff member hired by Rhule to lose his job this year. In February, assistant strength coach Brandon Washington was fired after being arrested for attempting to solicit a prostitute in Waco.

Rhule was hired from Temple in December to help turn the tide of a football program that has been mired by a sexual assault scandal that led to the firing of head coach Art Briles. Many allegations against Briles’ players led to an investigation into the school’s handling of accusations of sexual assault. The investigation, conducted by law firm Pepper Hamilton, resulted in the firing of Briles, removal of president Ken Starr and resignation of athletic director Ian McCaw.

Jim Grobe coached Baylor in 2016 under the title of “acting head coach” until Rhule was hired. Rhule led Temple to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015 and 2016.