His opening press conference touched on a myriad of topics, including Baylor’s sexual assault scandal.
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Big XII Commissioner Bob Bowlsby started Big XII media day with a statement about the success of the conference in 2015, policy changes and the addition of a Big XII championship game but most of the questions from the media focused on the sexual assault scandal at Baylor University.
Bowlsby acknowledged that CEOs from other league schools have expressed concerns about the Baylor situation, which includes multiple allegations of sexual assaults by former football players in recent years that led to the May departures of football coach Art Briles and athletic director Ian McCaw.
“I think that there are certainly those among our Board [of Directors] that have felt that the image of the Big 12 and the other members of the Big 12 have been sullied as a result of this incident”, Bowlsby said. An investigation into the matter by the Pepper Hamilton law firm revealed a lack of control in the sitution.
Media days for the Big 12 in Dallas will wrap up on Tuesday.
“When one member’s reputation is damaged, I think all of our images are damaged”, Bowlsby said.
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He also said the Big 12 doesn’t have any legal standing to intervene, but has asked questions about the culture of the remaining program. As Bowlsby himself pointed out to ESPN last week, part of the reason for Baylor’s less-than-forthcoming outward appearance is that there are potential civil suits that could be levied against the university in the future and that “on the advice of counsel, they are not sharing everything they have. It nearly goes without saying that when you combine alcohol and drugs and raging hormones and the experiences of 18-22 years old, it’s probably unrealistic to think that these kinds of things are never going to happen”, said Bowlsby.
