Baylor fires football staffer for inappropriate text messages to a teenager

Even with a new head coach, Baylor’s football program just keeps finding its way into the headlines. On Monday evening, KXTX-TV News 10 in Waco reported Baylor has dismissed DeMarkco Butler, who was hired just last month as the Associate Director for Football Operations.

The nature of Butler’s dismissal involves inappropriately texting a teenager. However, a school official told the television station that under Texas state laws, the individual is an adult.

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 is a brand new hire. He was not kept on from former head coach Art Briles’ staff. He is the second person hired under new head football coach Matt Rhule the school has had to terminate. Brandon Washington, Rhule’s newly hired Assistant Strength Coach, was fired after he was arrested in a prostitution sting in early February.

This is another bump in the very rough road for new head coach Matt Rhule, who is trying to completely rebuild the program’s public perception.

“I had concerns,” Rhule said in an interview last month with the Houston Chronicle about accepting the job at Baylor. “You look at it and you have to ask yourself about the problem. Is it still there? Is it systemic? Can I help fix the problem?”

“I looked at all that, took a leap of faith, and I felt like I was well-equipped to take this on because of what I believe in. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But I also had tremendous confidence that this was the right place for me.”

In early February, Briles, who was fired last summer amidst the sexual assault scandal, dropped his libel suit against the university. Shortly after that, Baylor regents filed a 54-page court document that detailed football program misconduct throughout the program.