We must remember that the prospect of NCAA penalties pales in comparison to the suffering of the survivors of such horrific assaults,” the two said in a public letter. “As part of the NCAA process, the university acknowledged its significant and moral failings related to sexual and interpersonal violence, and we sincerely regret the actions of a few individuals caused harm to so many. They said the school’s legal teams would review the full report. The scandal has lingered for the better part of a decade and Baylor is still embroiled in lawsuits over its mishandling of campus assault cases.īaylor president Linda Livingstone and athletic director Mack Rhoades, both hired in the wake of the scandal, said the university agreed violations did occur, and that it takes full responsibility. But the fact of the matter is, we could not come to that conclusion based on the bylaws that exist before us.”įor Baylor, the decision helps close a chapter on one of the most painful periods in its history. “Here, in many ways, many of us felt that there should be some penalty. We’ve always gone into hearings trying to find out the truth and come to a right and fair conclusion,” Maturi said. In some ways, we’ve never had discussions where we’ve wanted to penalize an institution. “We all agreed the conduct was egregious. But a question of this magnitude, in an area where the membership has not expressly legislated, requires collective membership consideration.”įormer Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi, the chief hearing officer and a member of the committee for eight years, said the case was troubling that, while not violations of NCAA bylaws, there were crimes being dealt with legally and in other avenues. “The members of this panel understand that our voluntary service on the COI requires us to make difficult decisions and we do not shy away from that responsibility. “To be clear, this is not a punt,” the NCAA report said. The infractions committee said the question it wrestled with was whether Baylor athletes accused of sexual assault or other violence were given an “extra benefit” in the form of more lenient treatment than other students - and the answer was no, a damning indictment of the campus environment at the time. “Ultimately, and with tremendous reluctance, this panel agrees,” the ruling said. The panel said Baylor admitted to moral and ethical failings in its handling of violence on the Waco campus but argued “that those failings, however egregious, did not constitute violations of NCAA legislation.”
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