Big 12 withholding 25% of revenue from Baylor pending review of Title IX changes

The Big 12 board of directors announced Wednesday it will withhold 25% of Baylor's revenue from the conference pending the results of an independent review into structural changes as a result of the sexual assault scandal that has engulfed the university for the last year and a half.

The money will be placed into escrow and eventually returned to Baylor, pending the results of the review.

"The board is unified in establishing a process to verify that proper institutional controls are in place and sustainable," Oklahoma president and board chairman David Boren said in a release.

Last year, the league distributed a total of $304 million to its 10 member schools. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said estimated revenue for schools in 2016-17 would be $34 million. If that number holds, approximately $8.5 million would be withheld from Baylor pending the review.

Baylor removed football coach Art Briles, athletics director Ian McCaw and president Kenneth Starr last May as a result of the Pepper Hamilton law firm's investigation into how the school handled sexual assault allegations.

The school's new leadership has made sweeping changes in the reporting process and Title IX office, but recent law suits against the school have brought disturbing details of the school's athletic culture into public view.

The Big 12 has pushed for increased transparency from Baylor officials, who have only released a summary of the Pepper Hamilton report.

“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 E. Garland said in a statement released by the school. "We pledge our full cooperation, and we will work with the Big 12 Conference to conduct the audit as expeditiously as possible.

“This third-party review at the request of the Big 12 Conference 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.”