WACO, TX – OCTOBER 17: A general view as the Baylor Bears take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in the first quarter at McLane Stadium on October 17, 2015 in Waco, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Baylor University has been rocked by a sexual assault scandal that could include 52 rapes over a four-year period, in which football coaches, athletic department staff, and high-level university officials did everything from ignore reports of sexual assault to actively interfere with investigations.

An independent report also found that Baylor blatantly disregarded Title IX law, and it led to the firing of football coach Art Briles and the resignations of athletic director Ian McCaw and university president Ken Starr.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has yet to weigh in on the Baylor scandal, as it is still investigating the issue, but the Big 12 Conference came out with its own “penalty” for the Bears. From Big 12 Board of Directors chairman and University of Oklahoma president David Boren:

“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.”

Translation: Baylor is temporarily losing some of its revenue, but it will get all of its revenue back when it has made some changes. What changes are those? Who knows!

There’s really no substance in this statement, and it’s unclear what “compliance with Conference bylaws and regulations” means. It certainly doesn’t mean having a flawless Title IX process in place, as four other Big 12 schools are under Department of Education investigation for their own Title IX failures (if not as bad as Baylor’s).

Essentially, Baylor’s punishment is that it will get its paycheck a little late. After such a massive scandal, that’s an incredibly weak response from the Big 12.

About Kevin Trahan

Kevin mostly covers college football and college basketball, with an emphasis on NCAA issues and other legal issues in sports. He is also an incoming law student. He's written for SB Nation, USA Today, VICE Sports, The Guardian and The Wall Street Journal, among others. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.