Former Baylor football coach Art Briles and his family are starting a campaign to benefit a Waco advocacy center for victims.

Briles, who was fired by the university in the wake of a sexual assault scandal, has made an initial donation and will match up to $8,500 in donations made to The Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children as part of the "#cabCAREScampaign," according to a statement provided by a Briles family member given to The Dallas Morning News.

The dollar amount, according to the statement, represents the 8 1/2 years Briles worked at Baylor before he was fired after a third-party investigation determined football coaches and staff mishandled sexual assault allegations against players.

"First and foremost, my heart aches for all the sexual domestic assault victims and for those that have suffered and continue to suffer," Briles said in the statement. "Through the events of the last six months, the awareness level is at an all-time high, and I would like to bring attention to the Advocacy Center for Crime Victims and Children."

The campaign runs from Thursday to the end of November. It begins on the same day that the Bears for Leadership Group will meet in Waco for a discussion on the future of Baylor leadership. Campaign flyers featuring Briles' statement will be handed out at Thursday's meeting.

"CAB" stands for Coach Art Briles. Last Saturday, black T-shirts with "#CAB" printed in white lettering were sold outside of McLane Stadium prior to the football game against TCU.

Jancy Briles, Art's daughter, said her sister, Staley Lebby, received many requests for T-shirts after photos of a few youth shirts were posted on Facebook. Lebby is married to Baylor assistant coach Jeff Lebby.

"My sister got flooded with requests for shirts by people," Jancy Briles said. "We didn't set out to have anything done. After those pictures got posted, people asked for shirts."

The company that made the shirts, Lufkin-based Hurley Graphics, donated a portion of the proceeds to the Briles' family campaign, according to co-owner Celsa Hurley.

Hurley said her family, which has been affected by sexual assault, didn't want to merely profit from the #CAB items but also to help raise money for victims.

"It supports Coach Briles and helping to clear his name," but also supports the victims that have been sexually assaulted, Hurley said.

Hurley said orders for the shirts have been sent to places as far away as Utah and Las Vegas, and shirts were ordered by alumni, fans, and current and former players.

According to Hurley, a current player was one of many who ordered a shirt two weeks before TCU's game and wanted to have it before the game to wear underneath the jersey. Baylor seniors, all of whom were recruited by Briles, picked all-black uniforms for the game against their biggest rivals.

In addition to the shirts, three prominent Baylor donors ordered a large number of bandanas, Hurley said.

Baylor players reportedly wore bandanas with "CAB" on them during the 62-22 loss to TCU, but Hurley doesn't know if they were the same ones.

A Baylor spokesperson could not confirm either account.

The shirts angered many on social media. Hurley said she fielded a call while in her car and a death threat was conveyed and overheard by her son.

Hurley reiterated her family doesn't support rape or hate against women.

"We believe in supporting victims," Hurley said.

Barbara Wright, the center's executive director, said Briles is trying to help in his own way, and Baylor has fervently tried to foster relationships with the center as one of the recommendations of the third-party report released in May, which led to Briles' firing.

"We are here for the survivors of any violent crime," Wright said. "They come first to us. From the statement that Coach Briles has put out, we feel like that he truly understands how devastating this is to the victims of either sexual or domestic violence."

Twitter: @Ben_Baby