On Wednesday, programs within the Big 12 decided to drop the proverbial hammer upon Baylor.

The Conference Board of Directors voted unanimously to withhold 25-percent of future revenue distribution payments to Baylor — dependent upon the outcome of a verification review of changes the university must make within its athletic department.

This ruling is an undoubtedly severe penalty, especially as it pertains to finances. However, the money will be held until this review is fully completed. Assuming the desired improvements are made, Baylor will receive the cash.

Big 12 Conference Board of Directors chairman David Boren had this comment on the ruling:

“The Board is unified in establishing a process to verify that proper institutional controls are in place and sustainable. Effective immediately, the Conference is withholding 25-percent of Baylor’s share of any future revenue distribution until the proper execution of controls is independently verified.  By taking these actions the Board desires to ensure that the changes that were promised are actually made and that systems are in place to avoid future problems.

The proportional withholding of revenue distribution payments will be in effect until the Board has determined that Baylor is in compliance with Conference bylaws and regulations as well as all components of Title IX.”

The Title IX problems emanate from the Art Briles era. For four years, there were multiple incidents of alleged sexual and non-sexual assaults involving Baylor football players. University officials failed to take action regarding the alleged rapes and other sorts of assaults.

During this time, Briles and his staff were reported to actively intervening in the discipline of football players. This included arranging for lawyers, and the attempt to keep potential cases under wraps. Most recently, a Baylor assistant coach was caught soliciting a prostitute in Waco. This was yet another black eye within the athletic department.

Interim University President David E. Garland released this statement:

“Upon learning the scope and scale of the troubling incidents that occurred within our campus community through an independent investigation, Baylor University took unprecedented corrective actions that led to leadership changes within the University administration and athletic department and 105 recommendations to strengthen the safety and security of our students. No other university in the country has responded as aggressively and decisively as Baylor regarding incidents of sexual assaults on its campus.

Under the University’s new leadership, Baylor has demonstrated a firm commitment to athletics compliance and integrity, increased awareness and prevention of sexual assault, implementation of Title IX best practices and providing comprehensive support services for any student in need of them. Baylor already had planned to hire an outside auditor to audit the implementation of our enhanced practices, and we welcome the Big 12 Conference’s request of an independent review. While the withholding of conference distributions is an unexpected financial event, we do not deem these actions to materially impact the overall financial position of the University. We pledge our full cooperation, and we will work with the Big 12 Conference to conduct the audit as expeditiously as possible.

This third-party review at the request of the Big 12 Conference will provide an opportunity for us to demonstrate our progress to date and our ongoing commitment in establishing Baylor as a leading institution in athletics compliance and governance and for preventing and addressing sexual assaults on college campuses.”