Oblivious, Desperate, or Just Unimaginably Stupid?

Some basketball coaches over at the Big 12 are upset over the "negative recruiting" tactic being employed by Baylor University. It seems that when Baylor coaches visit a potential recruit, one of the things they bring with them is a packet which highlights the negative aspects of rival schools. Some of the items listed within this article include:

Baylor telling the family of prep phenom Dwight Lewis that Kansas has the lowest graduation rate in the big 12 (which as it turns out is a false accusation). While Baylor didn't land the recruit, he didn't sign within the Big 12 either. He instead opted to go play at Southern Cal. It's unclear whether the graduation rate misinformation was a factor, as the USC athletics department isn't exactly known for its academic reputation.

Baylor staff reprinted a series of stories detailing off the court problems at Memphis University and gave it to the family of one of Calipari's recruits. The recruit has since taken Memphis off of his list of schools that he is considering.

Another flyer asks, "SINCE 2004, WHICH OF THESE BIG 12 COACHES HAS SIGNED A MCDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN?" and depicts Bob Knight's and Billy Gillispie's circled faces with a line crossing through them. Scott Drew, the Baylor head coach is circled as the correct answer.

...Now, I realize that Baylor is at a significant disadvantage when it comes to recruiting, so maybe they need to use unsavory tactics in their visits to students. However this seems like a dangerous strategy to me. While thus far, no rival Big 12 coaches have opted to engage in a mudslinging battle, it wouldn't take too much research for a graduate assistant to come up with a flyer that asks:
"SINCE 2003, WHICH OF THESE BIG 12 SCHOOLS HAVE TRIED TO COVER UP THEIR BASKETBALL PLAYER'S MURDER OF A TEAMMATE?"

I'm pretty sure that by comparision, that graduation stat wouldn't seem like such a big deal anymore.