Written by After five years of investigating, the NCAA levied sanctions against Baylor University for mishandling multiple sexual violence cases this week. However, the penalties were not severe. Several key players in the scandal escaped punishment. Why not?
Between 2010 and 2015, there were several instances of sexual assault emerged. A pattern emerged. Two football players received criminal sentences related to the incidents. A report released in 2016 by a law firm hired by the university to review how it handled reports of sexual violence revealed officials discouraged complaints and retaliated against those who came forward.
A scandal was born, resulting in the termination of head football coach Art Briles. University president Kenn Star subsequently resigned. As further details came to light, the public was shocked by the toxic culture at the most prominent university affiliated with the Baptist Church. Coming on the heels of the sexual abuse scandal and coverup at Penn State, Baylor could have expected to receive tough sanctions from the NCAA.
However, the NCAA promptly announced it would not exert its authority to impose sweeping sanctions but instead conduct an investigation. That investigation lasted nearly five years and resulted in this week’s slap on the wrist.
The NCAA concluded that Baylor had a “campus-wide culture of non-reporting.” Because the football program’s actions were not any worse than the rest of the student body, they did not violate NCAA rules. They chose to pass the buck. Who will hold the university accountable for its actions?
Accountability is hard to define and often harder to maintain. Accountability is broader than responsibility, as it involves ownership. It involves understanding what you are accountable for and who you are accountable to and for. Those accountable receive credit when successful and blame when not. Maintaining accountability requires understanding your blind spots, such as fear, blame, competing values, and being stuck in your comfort zone. An attitude of integrity is needed.
When a culture has accountability, expectations are clearly understood. Unfortunately, the culture at Baylor during the first half of the 2010s centered around building a winning football team. At whatever the cost. Briles clearly understood his mandate and felt his firing was unjustified. However, Briles was confused. Winning football games was his responsibility. He was accountable for his players and to the students, and the university itself. Baylor held him accountable, but the NCAA failed to do so, opening up the possibility that Briles may land at another university.
For its part, Baylor had done a commendable job at holding itself accountable and reversing its course. It has changed its culture. No longer are recruits greeted by the “Baylor Bruins” when they visit campus. Expectations have been correctly set and met by the new football coach.
Yet, the lack of NCAA sanctions seems like an insult to the many victims of abuse during Baylor’s long period of rampant disrespect of society’s norms for appropriate behavior. They passed on a chance to show their support for the victims, demonstrate leadership, and send a message to other universities by not holding Baylor accountable for the actions of their previous regime.
Baylor and Penn State were guilty of the same thing, withholding information related to crimes and a failure to report them to authorities in an attempt to protect the interest of their universities. However, the circumstances of the crimes themselves were much different.
Once revealed, Jerry Sandusky’s repulsive actions caused an immediate public outcry to hold all involved accountable. The NCAA acted forcefully in response.
The public’s response was less severe to Baylor’s charges of “sexual and interpersonal violence on campus.” Some of the allegations involved “he said, she said” situations. While many voiced their outrage, others were more concerned about the impact on the football program. The NCAA used this as cover to delay its actions and observe Baylor’s response.
Both Penn State and Baylor have returned to prominence on the field. Due to its sanctions, Penn State had a more arduous path. They have moved on. Fans can now root for their teams and are focused on winning, while the schools have a broader role and better embrace their accountabilities.
Unfortunately, it is not nearly as easy for the victims. Institutions that should be protecting their interests put their own above those of the victims. It was a breakdown in accountability. Why take ownership when you can pass the buck?
Most football players behave appropriately, and most football coaches do their best to promote a positive culture surrounding their teams. Our culture teaches individuals to be personally accountable for their actions, and for the most part, we are successful. We take care of our own business.
The downside of this individual approach is that we are so focused on looking after ourselves, we fail to act when we see others fail to meet the same standard unless there is a public outcry. We leave it to others. We mind our own business.
Art Briles took care of the business of winning games and still sees himself as the victim. This week, Sam Khan, Jr. wrote an excellent article in The Athletic, highlighting how Briles still fails to understand what he was accountable for at Baylor. He told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “I’m no doubt, the most scrutinized and investigated college head Coach in last 25 years. NCAA found no wrongdoing or violations for a reason.” Briles said coaching football is “all I pay attention to, and that’s all I’ve ever done.” He only minds his own business.
Meanwhile, new Baylor coach Dan Aranda’s response to the NCAA’s ruling showed empathy to the real victims, “We found out yesterday about what was coming today. The first thing I thought of was the survivors. I spent the evening thinking about all that and going through how they must feel knowing that there’s going to be an end to all this and how long this has all been going.”
Baylor has moved on. Art Briles is trying to move on. But has anyone been held accountable for creating the toxic culture that resulted in five years of chaos? Have we solved anything or just moved on to the next episode?