UCF football program guilty of 'major' NCAA violations
Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 3:57 pmUCF football program receives two-year probation for violations involving improper phone calls, text messages to recruits
UCF has been placed on two years' probation for football recruiting violations, the school and the NCAA announced jointly today.
UCF also received recruiting restrictions that were completed during the 2008-10 seasons, and the two former football staff members who were involved in the violations also were suspended two weeks each at their current universities.
UCF self-reported to the NCAA that the two non-coaching staffers placed 209 non-permissible phone calls and about 100 non-permissible text messages between June 2007 and January 2009 to 27 recruits and their parents.
The staff members were not named but were identified as a former director of player personnel who began his employment with the school in August 2007 as a graduate assistant and UCF's former football recruiting administrator who began his employment with the school in August 2006 as a graduate assistant.
They were not members of the school's coaching staff and were not allowed to have any phone contact with recruits under NCAA rules. All college coaches were banned from sending text messages to recruits in August 2007.
Both former staff members told the NCAA they received proper training and understood they broke NCAA rules. They also stated the UCF coaching staff was not aware of their phone contact with recruits.
"The violations that took place are extremely disappointing to me," UCF coach George O'Leary said in a joint UCF and NCAA news release. "We run a first-class program and there is no place for this behavior at UCF. I want our fans to know that we acted immediately when we learned about what was going on and worked with the NCAA from the start."
The penalties for the major infraction include two years probation, recruiting restrictions that were already completed from 2008-10 and two-week suspensions of the two former employees at their current universities.
If UCF has a major infraction in any sport during the next five years, the school will be considered a repeat offender and face more stringent NCAA punishment.
"We fully accept the NCAA's findings and penalties," UCF athletic director Keith Tribble stated in the NCAA and UCF joint release. "I demand NCAA compliance from our entire organization and we have procedures in place to help prevent this in the future."
The phone and text message violations came to light in March 2008 when UCF's compliance office was doing a routine quarterly audit of phone records.
The compliance staff noticed irregularities in the recruiting administrator's phone records. UCF began an inquiry and found that from June 6, 2007, through Feb. 6, 2008, the recruiting administrator placed and received phone calls from about 17 recruits or their parents. The recruiting administrator also sent 70 text messages to recruits and their families despite having no authorization to have any phone contact with recruits.
Several of the phone calls were placed during weeks when the coaching staff was limited to one phone call to recruits, pushing the staff over the NCAA's phone restrictions.
The recruiting administrator told school officials investigating the violation that he was placing the phone calls to help with the logistics of official visits, adding that conversations moved on to more general topics considered part of recruiting including asking about their school work, their football season and personal goals.
UCF first reported the violations to the NCAA in August 2008.
In July 2009, the school received a tip that a second staff member violated NCAA rules by contacting recruits and their families via phone calls and text messages.
From August 2008 through January 2009, the former director of player personnel used his personal cell phone to place and receive calls from 10 recruits.
The NCAA report on UCF's infractions states the director of player personnel told investigators that he initiated the contact after he "emotionally connected" with recruits during the official visit. He told the investigators he felt uncomfortable ending friendships with recruits and cutting off all contact after their official visits ended.
In Nov. 30, 2009, UCF sent its summary report to the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The case was reviewed on Dec. 12, 2009, and the infractions report was released Thursday.
It was UCF's first major NCAA infraction since 1985 violations in the men's basketball program.
UCF is the fifth school this year that has run afoul of the NCAA's phone call and text messaging restrictions.
UCF has been placed on two years' probation for football recruiting violations, the school and the NCAA announced jointly today.
UCF also received recruiting restrictions that were completed during the 2008-10 seasons, and the two former football staff members who were involved in the violations also were suspended two weeks each at their current universities.
UCF self-reported to the NCAA that the two non-coaching staffers placed 209 non-permissible phone calls and about 100 non-permissible text messages between June 2007 and January 2009 to 27 recruits and their parents.
The staff members were not named but were identified as a former director of player personnel who began his employment with the school in August 2007 as a graduate assistant and UCF's former football recruiting administrator who began his employment with the school in August 2006 as a graduate assistant.
They were not members of the school's coaching staff and were not allowed to have any phone contact with recruits under NCAA rules. All college coaches were banned from sending text messages to recruits in August 2007.
Both former staff members told the NCAA they received proper training and understood they broke NCAA rules. They also stated the UCF coaching staff was not aware of their phone contact with recruits.
"The violations that took place are extremely disappointing to me," UCF coach George O'Leary said in a joint UCF and NCAA news release. "We run a first-class program and there is no place for this behavior at UCF. I want our fans to know that we acted immediately when we learned about what was going on and worked with the NCAA from the start."
The penalties for the major infraction include two years probation, recruiting restrictions that were already completed from 2008-10 and two-week suspensions of the two former employees at their current universities.
If UCF has a major infraction in any sport during the next five years, the school will be considered a repeat offender and face more stringent NCAA punishment.
"We fully accept the NCAA's findings and penalties," UCF athletic director Keith Tribble stated in the NCAA and UCF joint release. "I demand NCAA compliance from our entire organization and we have procedures in place to help prevent this in the future."
The phone and text message violations came to light in March 2008 when UCF's compliance office was doing a routine quarterly audit of phone records.
The compliance staff noticed irregularities in the recruiting administrator's phone records. UCF began an inquiry and found that from June 6, 2007, through Feb. 6, 2008, the recruiting administrator placed and received phone calls from about 17 recruits or their parents. The recruiting administrator also sent 70 text messages to recruits and their families despite having no authorization to have any phone contact with recruits.
Several of the phone calls were placed during weeks when the coaching staff was limited to one phone call to recruits, pushing the staff over the NCAA's phone restrictions.
The recruiting administrator told school officials investigating the violation that he was placing the phone calls to help with the logistics of official visits, adding that conversations moved on to more general topics considered part of recruiting including asking about their school work, their football season and personal goals.
UCF first reported the violations to the NCAA in August 2008.
In July 2009, the school received a tip that a second staff member violated NCAA rules by contacting recruits and their families via phone calls and text messages.
From August 2008 through January 2009, the former director of player personnel used his personal cell phone to place and receive calls from 10 recruits.
The NCAA report on UCF's infractions states the director of player personnel told investigators that he initiated the contact after he "emotionally connected" with recruits during the official visit. He told the investigators he felt uncomfortable ending friendships with recruits and cutting off all contact after their official visits ended.
In Nov. 30, 2009, UCF sent its summary report to the NCAA Committee on Infractions. The case was reviewed on Dec. 12, 2009, and the infractions report was released Thursday.
It was UCF's first major NCAA infraction since 1985 violations in the men's basketball program.
UCF is the fifth school this year that has run afoul of the NCAA's phone call and text messaging restrictions.
