Big 12 to withhold 25 percent of revenue from Baylor

The Big 12 Board of Directors voted unanimously to withhold 25 percent of future revenue distribution payments to Baylor, pending the outcome of a third-party verification review, the conference announced Wednesday.

"The board is unified in establishing a process to verify that proper institutional controls are in place and sustainable," University of Oklahoma president and Big 12 Conference Board of Directors chairman David Boren said. "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."

Baylor was not included in the vote and will be responsible for all associated costs.

"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," Baylor interim president David Garland said in a statement. "We pledge our full cooperation, and we will work with the Big 12 conference to conduct the audit as expeditiously as possible.

"This ... 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."

The school's regents submitted documents in a lawsuit last week alleging that former coach Art Briles hid information about player misconduct, including incidents relating to the sexual assault scandal that's engulfed the university. The NCAA has since reportedly launched an in-depth investigation into possible rule violations by Baylor, including impermissible benefits and Title IX issues.