NCAA releases findings from investigation into Baylor Football program

On Wednesday, the NCAA made available its findings from a recently concluded investigation into the Baylor football program that began in 2016. 

According to the release, “A Division I Committee on Infractions hearing panel could not conclude that Baylor violated NCAA rules when it failed to report allegations of and address sexual and interpersonal violence committed on its campus.

“However, the panel did find other violations occurred between 2011 and 2016: impermissible benefits were provided to a football student-athlete who was not reported for failing to meet an academic performance plan following an academic violation and the university operated a predominantly female student-host program that did not align with NCAA recruiting rules. Additionally, a former assistant director of football operations did not meet his obligation to cooperate and violated ethical conduct rules when he did not participate in the investigation.

“Penalties in the case include four years of probation, recruiting restrictions, a vacation of records and a five-year show-cause order limiting all athletically related duties for the former assistant director of football operations.”

The exact punishments were as following.

• Four years of probation.
• A $5,000 fine.
• A reduction to 30 football official visits during the 2021-22 academic year.
• A three-week ban on unofficial visits in football during the 2021-22 academic year.
• A two-week ban on football recruiting communication during the 2021-22 academic year.
• A reduction of football evaluation days by three during fall 2021 and by 10 during spring 2022.
• A five-year show-cause order for the former assistant director of football operations. During that period, any NCAA member school employing him must restrict him from any athletically related duties unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply.
• A vacation of all records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible. The university must provide a written report containing the contests impacted to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 14 days of the public release of the decision.

Baylor is expected to release additional information on the findings at 11:30 a.m. CT on its official University website.

The NCAA will make available Joel Maturi, former athletics director at Minnesota and chief hearing officer for the panel, to the media at 12 p.m. CT. 

Baylor President Linda Livingstone and Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades will hold a joint virtual press conference at 1:30 p.m. CT.