Baylor Nearly Lost Everything: A day after the NCAA placed Baylor on probation for five years, among other penalties, a member of the NCAA’s infractions committee said the association came close to giving the Bears the death penalty for this coming season. In basketball terms, the death penalty means the NCAA could have banned the Bears from playing any games. Instead, the NCAA banned the Bears from playing non-conference games, which the school opted to enact for this coming season.
NCAA officials considered the death penalty because Baylor was a repeat offender after the tennis team provided improper financial aid in 2000. Under former coach Dave Bliss, men’s basketball players received thousands of dollars in illicit financial aid from Bliss and other assistant coaches. They also funded amateur teams that included Baylor recruits.
In addition to the punishments for Baylor, the NCAA ruled that any team that wants to hire Bliss in the next 10 years must appear before the infractions committee to determine his limitations. One assistant must undergo the same scrutiny for seven years while the other two must do so for five years. The investigation at Baylor started after former player Carlton Dotson murdered teammate Patrick Dennehy. Dotson was recently sentenced to 35 years in prison. [6/25/05]
