Dallas Morning News 2/5/17: Why the NCAA is unlikely to punish Baylor harshly
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By Ben Baby , Staff Writer Contact Ben Baby on Twitter: @Ben_Baby
Last fall, Baylor quarterback Seth Russell made an observation that others were making as the university dealt with the fallout from its sexual assault scandal.
"I have not seen any other team besides Penn State who's gone through something this drastic," Russell said in September.
In 2012, the NCAA severely punished Penn State for its role in a child sex abuse scandal involving longtime assistant Jerry Sandusky and head coach Joe Paterno. The NCAA was ultimately sued over those sanctions and settled the lawsuit.
The backlash over those sanctions shows why the NCAA is unlikely to punish Baylor extensively over the ongoing scandal in Waco, one that's far more serious than matters the NCAA generally deals with.
Jeremy Jordan, an associate professor at Temple and the university's faculty athletics representative, said the Baylor saga includes a criminal component and a Title IX component, both of which fall outside the NCAA's jurisdiction.
"The NCAA was not intended to govern all that happens on a college campus," Jordan said. "They are intended to cover all that happens with the athletics program."
The NCAA declined to comment, citing policy that forbids speaking on current, pending or potential investigations.
The organization could punish Baylor if it finds violations of its bylaws, such as a lack of institutional control or individual unethical conduct.
The NCAA banned Baylor's men's basketball team from playing nonconference games during the 2005-06 season after an investigation, prompted by the murder of Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson, uncovered numerous violations.
In the current case, the collegiate governing body could do something similar. According to ESPN, the NCAA's enforcement staff has made inquiries to see if its bylaws were violated.
But because of what happened with Penn State five years ago, the NCAA could tread lightly. The organization ended up returning scholarships that had been stripped and lifting a postseason ban.
"I think if the NCAA is going to move forward with any kind of involvement, it would have to establish what bylaws or rules or policies potentially were broken at Baylor," Jordan said.
