NCAA Accepts Baylor's Self-Imposed Penalties: No Further Sanctions

Baylor Athletics announced a few minutes ago through the official website that the NCAA has accepted Baylor's self-imposed penalties as satisfactory and determined that no further sanctions are necessary at this point for Baylor's basketball programs in relation to findings of major violations including over 1,200 impermissible text messages and phone calls. I detailed those self-imposed sanctions when news about the investigation first broke on Monday, and though they are harsh in some respects, Baylor and its fans should feel extremely happy that this matter has been resolved quickly and without more punishment being assessed by the NCAA. This is, for lack of a better way to put it, the best-case scenario for an investigation of this magnitude. I'm not saying that to condone/excuse/justify what was done or say that we should continue to act wrongly-- we absolutely should operate within the boundaries of NCAA rules. Period.

The link above provides quotes from Coaches Mulkey and Drew as well as star center Brittney Griner for the Lady Bears basketball team. It is clear from the language of the release that Baylor considers this matter closed and fully-resolved. To be clear: Baylor's basketball programs will not face any further sanctions from the NCAA related to this investigation. The investigation, which spanned nearly four years, did not uncover any wrongful actions other than those included in the report.

UPDATE: Here is the NCAA's published report from its website about the conclusion of the investigation. It includes a self-imposed sanction that I actually hadn't heard about before: Scott Drew has been suspended from Baylor's first two conference games next season. Baylor's programs will also receive probation for three years beginning April 11, 2012 and ending April 10, 2015.