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NCAA Report

Postby PonyPride » Wed Dec 13, 2000 5:43 pm

courtesy: <A HREF="http://www.ncaa.org/releases/makepage.cgi/infractions/2000121302in.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.ncaa.org/releases/makepage.cgi/infractions/2000121302in.htm</A>


Wednesday, December 13, 2000

SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY PLACED ON PROBATION FOR VIOLATIONS IN FOOTBALL PROGRAM


INDIANAPOLIS---Southern Methodist University has been placed on probation for two years and reductions have been made in the number of coaches permitted to recruit off-campus and the number of official visits allowed in football for violations of NCAA legislation involving the football program.

Among other penalties imposed by the Division I Committee on Infractions, a former assistant football coach was placed under a seven-year show cause order, and the university will be required to vacate its team record for 10 games in the 1998 football season for which an ineligible player was used. A show-cause penalty requires any NCAA institution seeking to employ an individual subject to show-cause provisions to appear before the Committee on Infractions. The committee determines whether the individual's athletically-related duties should be limited for a specified time.

The violations involved bylaws governing recruiting, extra benefits, academic fraud and unethical conduct and were discovered and self-reported by the university.

The academic fraud violation, which occurred in 1997 and 1998, was considered by the Committee on Infractions as the most serious of the violations. The committee said a number of the other violations would, if considered individually, be classified as secondary, or less serious in nature; however, the cumulative effect of the violations brought them to the level of major.

The academic fraud violation involved a prospective student-athlete and a former assistant coach. Through a series of events, it was arranged on two occasions for other individuals to use the identity of the prospective student-athlete to take the ACT, a college entrance exam, on his behalf. The Committee on Infractions determined that the former assistant coach suggested the student-athlete participate in academic fraud, had knowledge of and was involved in the testing scheme, and had reason to know that the prospect, who eventually became a student-athlete at Southern Methodist, was ineligible to compete because of academic fraud. Further, the committee concluded that the assistant coach agreed to pay the first individual to take the test on the prospect’s behalf.

A number of other violations also involved the former assistant coach, including a finding of unethical conduct. The committee concluded that the former assistant encouraged a student-athlete to provide false and misleading information to university staff involved in a review of the allegations.

Other violations included impermissible recruiting contacts, expenses and activities and recruiting inducements. For example, in the fall of 1995, the assistant football coach and the father of an enrolled student-athlete arranged for a prospect and his family to meet the assistant in the student-athlete’s home. The meeting occurred at a time in the recruiting calendar when such meetings are prohibited, and it was inappropriate for the father of the enrolled student-athlete to be involved in such a meeting.

The former assistant football coach disputed the information in many of the findings. He provided a written response to allegations but did not participate in the NCAA’s hearing on the matter, which was conducted on September 23, 2000. Specifically regarding the unethical conduct finding, the former assistant said he did not knowingly or unknowingly commit a violation. However, the committee concluded that findings demonstrated the former assistant coach knowingly attempted to circumvent NCAA legislation.

As it determined appropriate penalties to impose, the Committee on Infractions considered the following self-imposed penalties and corrective actions taken by the university:

• The number of initial financial aid awards available for the football program were reduced by four for the 2000-01 academic year and will be reduced by four additional grants for 2001-02 (eight total over two years).

• The number of expenses-paid recruiting visits for football prospects were reduced by eight for the 1999-00 and 2000-01 academic years (16 total over two years).

• The former assistant football coach was suspended during the university’s eight-month investigation and was terminated from employment effective December 8, 1999.

• The football coaching staff reduced by one the number of permissible off-campus recruiting assistant coaches for 1999-00 (six permitted).

• The football program utilized eight full-time assistant coaches in the 1999 football season, rather than the nine permitted by NCAA legislation.

The Committee on Infractions commended Southern Methodist for discovering the violations and conducting a thorough and complete investigation. It imposed additional penalties because of the serious nature of the academic fraud and unethical conduct violations.

The additional penalties imposed are:

• Public reprimand and censure.

• Two years of probation beginning December 13, 2000.

• The number of expenses-paid visits to the university’s campus in football will be limited to no more than 38 total visits for the 2001-02 academic year.

In addition to the university’s self-imposed penalty of reducing the number of football coaches permitted to recruit off campus by one during the 1999-00 academic year, the same limitation will be imposed for the 2001-02 academic year. The university shall document this penalty in the compliance reports submitted to the committee.

The university will vacate its team record, as well as any individual records of the student-athlete who engaged in academic fraud. The university’s records regarding football will be reconfigured to reflect the vacation of the 10 contests in which the student-athlete competed in during the 1998 season. The vacation of records also will be reflected in all publications in which football records for that season are recorded, including, but not limited to, university media guides, recruiting materials and university and NCAA archives.

The former assistant football coach will be informed in writing by the NCAA that because of his involvement in certain violations, if he seeks employment or affiliation in an athletically-related position at an NCAA member institution during a seven-year period that starts on December 13, 2000, he and the involved institution will be requested to appear before the Committee on Infractions to consider whether the institution should be subject to show-cause procedures which could limit the athletically-related duties of the individual for a designated period.

During the probationary period, the university will continue to develop and implement a comprehensive education program on NCAA legislation and submit periodic reports to the NCAA. At the end of the probationary period, the university’s president will provide a letter to the committee affirming that the university’s current athletics policies and practices conform to all requirements of NCAA regulations.

As required by NCAA legislation for any institution involved in a major infractions case, Southern Methodist is subject to the NCAA's repeat-violator provisions for a five-year period beginning on the effective date of the penalties in this case, December 13, 2000.

The members of the Division I Committee on Infractions who heard this case are: Jack Friedenthal, committee chair and professor of law, George Washington University; Richard J. Dunn, professor of English, University of Washington; Frederick B. Lacey, attorney and retired judge, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, Newark, New Jersey; Gene A. Marsh, professor of law, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; James P
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby Horseshoe » Wed Dec 13, 2000 7:39 pm

RELAX!!

This is embarrassing - no question about it. But this will have little to no effect on recruiting or our performance. We never use the full number of visits anyway, and were planning to limit the scholarships by that number anyway.

We will endure jokes from frogs, etc., but that will quiet down when we roll through basketball season. This a slap in the face, pride-wise, but nothing that will cripple the program. The benefits of Ford Stadium will far outweigh any damage this does...
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby PonyTales » Wed Dec 13, 2000 7:58 pm

I agree. We're gonna be fine. Ride this out, like all the others. Don't EVER lose the faith.

And be LOUD at Sunday's basketball win over Houston -- see you all there!
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby PK » Wed Dec 13, 2000 8:08 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Horseshoe:
<B>RELAX!!

This is embarrassing - no question about it.

</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is more than just embarrassing, it is totally out of line with how the NCAA has dealt with other schools such as Minnesota and ND most recently. I don't know why the NCAA feels like our situation is, evidently, a worse offense requiring harsher punishment.
SMU's first president, Robert S. Hyer, selected Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue as SMU's colors to symbolize SMU's high academic standards. We are one of the few Universities to have school colors with real meaning...and we just blow them off.
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby kanucklehead » Wed Dec 13, 2000 8:32 pm

There are no bowl game restrictions or TV restrictions?
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby mjpotts » Wed Dec 13, 2000 9:08 pm

Silly Pony fans,
This probation should be very embarrassing. The reason SMU is receiving "unfair" treatment is because of their storied past. Things have been happening a Minnesota and Notre Dame for years yet they have not been blatant enough to get the death penalty.
Pony fans need to realize that the glory years of their football team are all in the past and will never return. New stadium or not SMU will never be good as long as they play in the WAC.
Oh Pony fan, remind me to congratulate Cavan on the excellent job he has done. Only at SMU is a coach rewarded with another year on his contract after doing absolutely nothing to improve the team. Sure the talent pool is higher than when he arrived but what has he done besides go .500 in the second half of the season after going 0-5 in the first half.
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby PK » Wed Dec 13, 2000 9:24 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by kanucklehead:
<B>There are no bowl game restrictions or TV restrictions?</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Like that would be a problem?
SMU's first president, Robert S. Hyer, selected Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue as SMU's colors to symbolize SMU's high academic standards. We are one of the few Universities to have school colors with real meaning...and we just blow them off.
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby Guest » Thu Dec 14, 2000 1:24 am

mjpotts are you ingnorant enough to suggest that what went on at Notre Dame was not blatant? It seems to me that you might need to think a little more about what you said because you sound like someone who knows nothing about college athletics. I guess ingnorance is bliss.
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby Charleston Pony » Thu Dec 14, 2000 9:24 am

The Notre Dame situation not blatant? WOW!!! That case set the stage for some really ugly developments in college football recruiting. If you will go back and look closely at that case, the NCAA backed away from really harsh penalties allegedly because the woman who was lavishing gifts on players was "romantically" linked to several. They looked at it like a personal relationship, outside the realm of recruiting. Never mind who she was working for and how she came up with the money!

SMU made it's mistakes, and we will pay for them. But PLEASE, let's not be so naiive to think cheating isn't commonplace at most NCAA institutions, ESPECIALLY those who compete year-in, year-out for top 25 status!
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby PerunaPunch » Thu Dec 14, 2000 12:26 pm

If it was an assistant coach that did this all by himself, the NCAA is justified in its punishment of the coach. But only the coach.

Look at what SMU did. First, they exposed the situation publicly. Second, they fired the guy. Third they self imposed (what is in my opinion) excessive punishment.

What more does the NCAA want? Any other school would have just swept it under the rug. But no. This time SMU takes the high road, does the right thing, and still gets slapped for it.

And by the way, mjpotts, you're a [deleted].
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby 402ClownPunch » Thu Dec 14, 2000 3:42 pm

Who hires these totally inept assistant coaches. Where do they come from?
What player in the last 12 years has been worthy of recieving a paycheck. Other than the one he may draw from working in the cafeteria.
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby Guest » Thu Dec 14, 2000 5:00 pm

402ClownPunch, once again an ingnorant person puts their two cents worth into something they know nothing about. I believe the coach that got fired was actually doing the same every coach in D-1 athletics does and that is cheat. What is sad his level of cheating pales in comparison to other schools past transgressions (BC, Minnesota, Notre Dame). So think before you speak. And as far as no good players, Chris Bordano, Jacoby Rhinehart, Donald Mitchell all in the NFL as well as multiple all-conference winners. As I said to another troublesome postee, Ignorance is bliss and you must be the enjoying the most bliss.
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Re: NCAA Report

Postby SMUPonyFan » Thu Dec 14, 2000 11:26 pm

True stanglover. We have had many players worth paying. And we run a clean program with this exception. This is not a string of assistant coaches, this was one coach. Looks like someone spiked the punch, 402clownpunch; you are punch drunk.

The NCAA have nothing better to do than keep punishing us because they have chips on their shoulder. What a bunch of light weights. Of course they will keep punishing us also because SMU no longer brings in money for the NCAA. They protect their investments, FSU, Notre Dame, etc. They know they can use us as an example and keep getting away with us.

They gave us the death penalty, death lasts for ever, and they will make sure of that. The only thing we can do is keep on fighting and prove them wrong.

The people of the NCAA are a bunch of clowns that have nothing to do but cheap shot us. They sit back and rake in the money while these college athletes bust their buts for them and don't get anything in return, except an education, of course. I have a nice hand gesture for the people of the NCAA. Image

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Re: NCAA Report

Postby Bballer » Fri Dec 15, 2000 12:37 am

Look at this link. The DMN put together a list of our battle with the NCAA.
<A HREF="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports_day/colleges/smuchronology.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.dallasnews.com/sports_day/colleges/smuchronology.htm</A>

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