Gary Patterson has been entrenched at TCU long enough — 21 years, to be exact — to understand the expectations for running a clean program.

“We’re at a university where the chancellor walks in the first day of classes into the whole athletic department and says, … ‘If you don’t do the right things, you’re fired,’” Patterson said Monday on the Big 12 coaches conference call.

Patterson’s comments came in reaction to the national conversation about Ohio State as a result of the three-game suspension for Buckeyes Coach Urban Meyer and his botched reaction to domestic violence allegations against since-fired Receivers Coach Zach Smith.

Whether it’s hyperbole or not for Patterson, the veteran head coach is aware his longevity at TCU circles back to being able to stay within the lines. In Big 12 country, Patterson, along with TCU, former athletic director Chris Del Conte and the Big 12, is being sued by former players over alleged abuse and harassment, although Patterson defended TCU’s practices.

It’s become yet another reminder for coaches and administrators to make sure personnel matters, and anything else, are reported and handled properly. The numerous Big 12 coaches polled Monday on the subject didn’t get into specifics as it relates to Ohio State, but they did offer suggestions and insight to run a stable program.

Baylor Coach Matt Rhule said it’s a coach’s duty to pass on things when they are learned and to make hard, tough decisions about who can work at a program.

“No. 1, there’s expectations for everybody that works here, every staff member that works here. No. 2 is what happens in the dark will at some point come to light,” he said.

Rhule can speak from experience as he’s part of reputation repair at Baylor as the school deals with fallout from a sexual assault scandal prior to his hiring in 2016-17.

At Texas Tech, Coach Kliff Kingsbury said the school began “very open discussions” within the past few years due to incidents “in our state,” likely referring to Baylor’s turmoil. He noted how he continually allows for open dialogue with his staff as issues like Ohio State arise.

“The background checks and the thoroughness with who you’re bringing in continues to intensify. There’s no question,” Kingsbury said. “I think everybody across the country is seeing that and see just how easily it can all kind of fall apart if things aren’t handled appropriately.”

Discussions of increased background checks began last week when news of Meyer’s suspension broke. Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith told reporters he is committed to working with Ohio State’s human resources department to implement new tactics and strategies to make sure a situation like Zach Smith’s doesn’t arise again.

“Obviously, all of our employees go through a standard background check. But the reality is we can probably go deeper with some positions, and that is one that we can go deeper on,” Gene Smith said.

That said, the buzz created at Ohio State isn’t forcing some programs to make any drastic changes.

Oklahoma Coach Lincoln Riley said his hiring process for assistant coaches won’t change, noting it’s already a strong point of emphasis.

“We do very detailed background checks with all of our employees,” he said. “Of course, if there’s ever a way we can get stronger with it or continue to progress in that area and find more about them, then, of course, we want to know.”

Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy said the Cowboys have thorough background checks in place when hiring personnel, but he did admit there are “things that could slip through the cracks.”

“I’m not sure everything over their adult lifetime can be somewhere where we can find it,” he said.

Dating back three or four years, Gundy explained how the flow of information doesn’t go to him, rather directly to Oklahoma State’s Title IX office. That is the norm for programs nowadays.

Ultimately, Patterson said it starts from the top down, beginning with president or chancellor. From there, coaches put into place and carry out the proper guidelines and procedures.

Kansas Coach David Beaty said the responsibility of staff members is enormous, both in a team setting and personally off the field. In addition, he posed two questions: Do you care about kids? And does your decision-making reflect that?

“We just believe that education is the prevention you need to create an obstacle for things like that to not happen,” Beaty said. “You’re never guaranteed, but when you tell them what could happen and what are some of the things maybe you didn’t even realize, it gives them a chance to make the adjustments and never step in to maybe a hole they didn’t think they were stepping into.”