Baylor’s Mack Rhoades Takes Leave Amid Investigation and Allegations

WACO, Texas – Mack Rhoades, the athletic director at Baylor University, is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, effective November 12. This decision comes amid an internal investigation following allegations regarding his conduct towards a football player and assistant coach.

Rich Clark, the executive director of the College Football Playoff (CFP), confirmed Rhoades’s resignation from his role as chairman of the CFP committee. Rhoades initiated the leave from his Baylor position, but did not provide specific reasons for his decision. Baylor officials stated that they received allegations involving Rhoades on Monday.

These allegations do not pertain to Title IX, student welfare, or NCAA rules, and are separate from a previous incident in which Rhoades was involved. That incident reportedly occurred during a September 20 game against Arizona State, where Rhoades confronted a Baylor tight end over a color discrepancy in his undershirt.

According to multiple reports, Rhoades allegedly used a harsh tone when questioning the player about his choice of clothing. Sources indicated that Rhoades later had a confrontation with an assistant coach in front of staff and family members.

Baylor has confirmed that the situation around Rhoades is under investigation. Jovan Overshown, Baylor’s deputy athletic director, and Cody Hall, the school’s executive senior associate athletic director, will temporarily oversee the athletic department.

Baylor’s statement regarding Rhoades emphasized that appropriate actions were taken following their internal review and acknowledged that he expressed regret for his conduct. It remains unclear how long Rhoades will be away from his roles.

The timing of his leave raises questions, as the final CFP rankings will be released next month. Rhoades has been a key figure in determining the future of Baylor’s football head coach, Dave Aranda, who is under scrutiny after a less-than-stellar season.