ORIGINALLY POSTED Saturday, April 5, 2008.
SAN ANTONIO (BP)–Former Baylor coach Dave Bliss made his first public apology to fellow coaches at the National Association of Basketball Coaches convention Friday, saying God had restored his heart and asking them for forgiveness.
Bliss was involved in one of the worst scandals in college basketball history by making illegal payments to Baylor players and then hindering the murder investigation of a Baylor player for fear the payments would be uncovered.
“I’m not doing well, but He [God] is doing well into me,” Bliss said in a brief interview with Baptist Press after he attended the Legends of the Hardwood Breakfast Saturday, hours before the Final Four tip-offs in San Antonio.
Bliss said he was broken, humiliated and sorry for publicly dishonoring his faith in Christ in the sordid coaching scandal.
“I panicked,” Bliss said. “I hurt a lot of people, for which I’m very sorry.”
Bliss said one of the toughest meetings of the weekend was with fellow believer and current Baylor head coach Scott Drew, who came to Baylor after Bliss was fired and led the Bears to an NCAA berth this year.
“I love Scott Drew a lot and I’m very proud of him,” said Bliss, who called the entire weekend helpful for his recovery.
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Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press and director of ministry relations for Marketplace Ministries in Dallas.