Baylor has brought more shame on the Big 12 than any other university
What more does Baylor have to do to get kicked out of the Big 12? Two of the most controversial and ugly scandals in the history of the NCAA should have been enough but somehow, the Bears were not punished harshly enough for either.
In 2003, Baylor basketball player Patrick Dennehy was murdered by teammate Carlton Dotson. Then, to try to cover up potential NCAA violations, Baylor's head coach at the time, Dave Bliss, tried to frame the deceased Dennehy as a drug dealer.
The violations Bliss tried to hide included Bliss making tuition payments for players and unreported failed drug tests. Bliss' actions were eventually discovered and he was fired. The school was put on probation as well.
Of course, about a decade later, there was the Art Briles scandal. From 2012 to 2015, numerous allegations of sexual assault were levied against Baylor football players only to have most of them covered up.
While the Bliss case is far more cut and dry than the Briles mess, the common denominator is Baylor University. Those two scandals have been the biggest in the history of the Big 12 and each took place in Waco where scandals and controversies seem to crop up more than any other place in Texas.
After the Briles fiasco, Baylor should have been booted out of the conference. It was the second time in a decade that the Big 12 had been embarrassed by what happened under Baylor's watch. Yet somehow, both the football and basketball programs have been able to rebound and reach unprecedented heights in the years since.
Baylor should have been kicked out of the conference a decade ago. Now, Texas Tech fans would love to kick the Bears out in 2024 before another mess emanates from Texas' capital of controversy.