Baylor coaches don shirts proclaiming: "We Pay Players"

The whole "Imagine if someone woke from a coma 20 years ago" bit is played out in the English language, but sometimes it's the only phrase that accurately conveys the gravity of the point.

Imagine if Rip Van Whistle, unfrozen from an Austin Powers-style slumber, put on his coaching shorts and found himself at a Baylor practice Friday in Waco, Texas, and saw his colleagues wearing these shirts.

University employees at a university event proudly proclaiming they pay their players? At conservative, Baptist Baylor? It runs in direct conflict with everything the NCAA stands for.

Or, used to stand for.

With House settlements slated to begin, Baylor will opt in to a system that shares roughly $22 million annually directly with athletes. 

That system begins next year, and in the meantime the shirts are for sale at Baylor's NIL store, which also gives money directly to athletes.

The bold phrasing comes from a Dave Aranda quote at Big 12 media days. Asked why Baylor had suddenly become so successful on the recruiting trail, the Bears head coach put it as bluntly as possible.

"We're paying players," Aranda told reporters at Big 12 Media Days.

Asked if it was that simple, Aranda replied: "Yes."

Before House payments become active in 2025, we're living in a gray area where NIL activities are church-and-state separated at some institutions, and not so much at others. In May, FootballScoop reported from an event where operations and personnel executives spoke frankly about how NIL is handled at their respective institutions, and one panelist said they'd be fired if they appeared at a work function representing their school's collective.

Clearly, that individual does not work at Baylor. 

As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.