There is a growing fear at Baylor that the NCAA simply has it in for the school and will impose a punishment because it can, and because it wants to look tough on crime.
The NCAA's nearly two-year investigation into Baylor's athletic department in the wake of a myriad of sexual assault allegations and Title IX failures is finally winding down. Sources confirmed the lawyers representing the school and former football coach Art Briles have responded to the NCAA's notice of allegations that were sent to the university in September.
According to sources, the NCAA believes football players at Baylor had a different set of rules than students when it came to disciplinary cases. That's a major violation if the NCAA can prove it. The NCAA feels Baylor was using a dated system to handle the football program, much the way problems were addressed in the 1970s and '80s.
These are large ifs.
The NCAA is scheduled to respond to both Baylor and Briles in approximately 60 days, after which a closed hearing is likely to be conducted. Expect an announcement from the NCAA in late May or early summer, according to people familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The NCAA prefers that no one within its organization or anyone involved in the case speaks during an investigation.
According to its bylaws, the NCAA didn't have much of a reason to open an investigation in the first place. The organization handles matters regarding recruiting, eligibility and practices. It does not have authority over criminal cases, which are handled by police and the court system.
But the NCAA got involved because it has a desired outcome: That the optics of mishandling sexual assault claims at one of its member institutions _ one that has a record of bad headlines this century _ cannot go unpunished.
Initially there was considerable optimism that the NCAA would judge neither Baylor nor Briles harshly. But now there is a cautious and nervous tone about the impending ruling.
