Jackson Free Press

It is easy to say that Baylor University is a prime example of what is bad about college sports. The university is a textbook example of how the win-at-all-cost approach can lead an institution of higher learning into selling its morals for wins.

A http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/baylorbears/2016/10/20/baylor-sexual-assault-scandal-timeline-football-convictions-title-ix-investigation">major sexual-assault scandal broke out at Baylor with police arresting defensive end Tevin Elliott for rape charges in 2012 and his conviction in 2014. New information shows that then-head coach Art Briles helped Elliott stay on campus.

Elliott was accused of a second count of plagiarism that would have him suspended from the university and ineligible for the 2011 season. He missed an April 2011 deadline to appeal, but Briles personally got involved to help Elliott get an appeal.

Briles sent an email to then-university President Ken Starr about overturning the suspension, which Starr did, allowing Elliott to stay in school and on the team.

Briles, Starr and assistant coaches continued to hide or fix problems that Elliott had in missing classes, meaning those in charge at Baylor helped Elliott stay on campus, where he ended up raping a woman.

Elliott isn’t the only case at Baylor. Repeatedly, the coaches and even the Waco Police Department buried reports of players’ misbehavior. Recent reports show that the coaches tried to get people who Baylor football players had victimized not to press charges or report incidents.

A Title IX lawsuit from one woman alleges that from 2011 to 2014, at least 31 players committed 52 sexual assaults. Philadelphia law firm Pepper Hamilton revealed in a http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2016/10/28/horrifying-details-emerge-baylor-rape-scandal?_ga=1.171494697.846660746.1486656446">report that 17 women reported sexual assault or domestic violence from 19 players, including four gang rapes.

The scandal eventually took down Starr, Briles, assistant coaches and others in positions of leadership. Those in http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18609288/art-briles-baylor-bears-assistants-buried-player-misbehavior-documents-say">power did nearly everything possible to keep players from being arrested or charged with crimes, and tried to hinder the work of Title IX coordinator Patty Crawford.

Baylor isn’t a http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/baylor/">program that traditionally won a ton of games, and the last bowl game before the university hired Briles in 2008 was in 1994. The school’s last winning record before Briles was in 1995.

Under Briles, Baylor won 10 games in a season four times, and before him, it had won 10 games just once in program history. There is no question of whether http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/coaches/art-briles-1.html">Briles could recruit and coach, but when it came down to integrity and morality, he failed as a leader.

Winning mattered more at Baylor than players committing physical and sexual assault. Another recent lawsuit alleges that regents in a meeting with Baylor alumni and donors on why they couldn’t keep Briles and other involved in the scandals because they “didn’t uphold with the mission of the university.”

One donor is quoted as saying in the same meeting: “If you mention Baylor’s mission one more time, I’m (going to) throw up. … I was promised a national championship.”

The http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18615626/ncaa-continues-investigate-potential-rules-violations-baylor-bears">NCAA is looking into potential violations of the program, but this is more than a hot recruit getting a car or some cash. The NCAA needs to have all its ducks in a row after its handling of the Pennsylvania State University scandal in 2011. The http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/18645194/big-12-withhold-cut-baylor-bears-future-revenue-assured-changes">Big 12 Conference is withholding some of Baylor’s share of the revenue split among members until the school shows that it has changed its culture.

Baylor also has a new head coach but still doesn’t have a clue. Recently, hired assistant strength coach http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/18635053/baylor-assistant-strength-coach-brandon-washington-fired-solicitation-charge">Brandon Washington got arrested on a prostitution solicitation charge. Baylor promptly fired Washington after the arrest.

We may never fully know the extent of what all happened at Baylor under Briles’ watch, but it should serve as a cautionary tale for any university that is willing to trade morality for a win.