The Hamilton Tiger-Cats initially hired Briles as an offensive coordinator -- only to let him go les sthan 24 hours later after talking it over with the league.
Briles oversaw the Baylor football program during a period in which investigators say people who accused the players of sexual assault were retaliated against by school officials. Briles denied wrongdoing.
Still, the Tiger-Cats say looking back ... they shouldn't have even considered hiring the guy.
"We made a large and serious mistake. We want to apologize to our fans, corporate partners and the Canadian Football League."
"It has been a difficult season and we are searching for answers.