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NCAA News Release

NCAA Division I Committee On Infractions Penalizes McNeese State University For Violations In Basketball, Track And Field

For Immediate Release

Thursday, February 8, 2007 		Contact(s)

Stacey Osburn

Associate Director of Public and Media Relations

317/917-6117


INDIANAPOLIS--- The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions has penalized McNeese State University of Lake Charles, Louisiana, for major violations in men's basketball and the men's and women's track and field and cross country programs. The violations include academic fraud, ineligible participation, unethical conduct by two coaches, impermissible proctoring and tutoring, unallowable transportation, providing extra benefits as well as other impermissible recruiting activities.

As a result of these violations the university received several sanctions, including a two-year probation period, lost scholarships, mandated decreases in recruiting activities and vacation of all records during the 1999-00 through 2003-04 women's track and field and cross country seasons when an ineligible student-athlete participated. In addition, two former coaches were each given a five-year show cause penalty, which means that should either coach seek athletically related employment with another NCAA institution, the coach and the hiring institution must appear before the Committee on Infractions to determine whether their duties should be limited.

The Committee on Infractions found that in the spring and summer of 2003 major rules violations involving four men's basketball prospective student-athletes and one enrolled men's basketball student athlete were arranged or committed by a former men's basketball assistant coach and other members of the men's basketball coaching staff. Specifically, a former assistant men's basketball coach facilitated academic fraud for two junior college prospective student-athletes when he arranged for a third party to complete quizzes and a test for a math correspondence course the young men were taking in an effort to gain admission and athletic eligibility at the institution. The former assistant men's basketball coach also arranged impermissible proctoring and tutoring for the same two prospective student-athletes. In addition, correspondence exams for the two prospective student-athletes and an enrolled student-athlete were proctored by the former assistant men's basketball coach's wife in their home.

These two prospective student-athletes and two other prospects were provided impermissible transportation and lodging by the former assistant men's basketball coach, his wife, enrolled student-athletes, other athletics staff members and boosters.

Despite a number of requests by phone and letter, the former assistant men's basketball coach did not respond to the allegations or appear at the Committee on Infractions hearing. Though he gave statements to the institution early in the investigation he declined to cooperate further during the investigation.

The committee expressed concern that this case involves another instance of violations occurring when prospects arrive on or in the vicinity of campus prior to initial enrollment. The committee initially noted this specific problem in 1998 and has since that time repeatedly warned of the elevated risk of violations. "Member institutions are once again reminded that they must be vigilant in tracking the activities of prospects in these situations," the committee stated in the report.

In addition, the committee noted concern regarding the number of academic fraud violations that include correspondence courses, stating in the report, "Also very troubling to the committee is that the academic fraud occurred in the administration of correspondence courses from Brigham Young University. Academic fraud and other problems with correspondence courses (calculation of progress toward degree, for example) have recurred with alarming regularity in infractions cases. The committee once again warns member institutions that they must be especially careful to monitor and review the use of such courses."

The second group of violations involved McNeese State's men's and women's track and field and cross country programs. According to the infractions report, the former head track coach directed an international student-athlete to provide false information to the institution regarding her previous four years at a collegiate institution in her home country. The student-athlete did as directed and competed in cross country and track for four years at McNeese State while ineligible. On several occasions, she and the former head track coach provided false and misleading information regarding her previous international enrollment. The former head track coach also asked an assistant track coach at another institution, who was aware of the student-athlete's background, to say nothing about the situation to investigators.

In addition, the former head track coach engaged in a fundraiser in which he paid student-athletes cash amounts for selling raffle tickets despite being told by the institution that he could not do so. Initially, the former head track coach paid the student-athletes selling the tickets 14 cents for each ticket they sold. After being asked to discontinue the raffles by school officials, the former head coach instead changed the manner in which the payments were made by increasing the daily meal money paid to the student-athletes selling the raffle tickets. Later, this arrangement was changed again by paying the student-athletes $10 for every 100 tickets sold, with the top seller receiving an additional $20, the second place seller receiving an extra $10, and the third place seller receiving an additional $5. Each student-athlete who was compensated for selling the tickets was declared ineligible and went through the reinstatement process.

According to the committee's report, "When interviewed by the institutional investigator, the former head coach track stated that he did not care if rules violations had taken place because the student-athletes had worked hard to earn their money."

In addition, the former head track coach provided impermissible transportation to a prospective transfer student-athlete and instructed the young man to provide false information if asked by the investigators about the transportation.

The former head track coach also declined to respond to the allegations or appear at the hearing. However, in statements given to the institution early in the investigation, he acknowledged that he knowingly violated certain provisions of the NCAA legislation during his tenure as coach of the track and field and cross country programs at the institution.

The committee also noted several secondary violations that took place at the university. They are outlined in the report.

In determining penalties, the committee considered the university's self-imposed penalties and corrective actions, its cooperation with NCAA enforcement staff and its effort to thoroughly investigate the issues. The penalties, some of which were self-imposed by the institution and adopted by the committee are as follows:
  • Public reprimand and censure,
  • Two years of probation (February 8, 2007 to February 7, 2009).
  • Reduction in women's track and field and cross country program scholarships by two full equivalencies for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 academic years.
  • A vacation of all points scored by the ineligible student-athlete in contests during the 1999-00 through 2003-04 women's track and field and cross country seasons, to include participation in the regular season, conference championships and NCAA championships during those years. The individual records of the student-athlete shall be vacated as well. The institution's women's track and field and cross country records, as well as the record of the former head track coach, will be reconfigured to reflect the vacated records in all publications for the affected season, including, but not limited to, institution media guides, recruiting material, as well as NCAA and institutional archives.
  • The former assistant men's basketball coach and the former head track coach were both given a five-year show cause penalty to conclude on February 7, 2012.
  • A reduction from 12 to 10 official visits for men's basketball during each of the 2003-04 and 2004-05 academic years.
  • A reduction from 40 to 30 evaluation days for men's basketball during the 2003-04 academic year.
  • A recruiting ban was implemented during the July 2003 evaluation period for men's basketball.
  • A 20-hour reduction of countable athletically related activity was implemented during the 2003-04 men's basketball playing and practice season.
  • The men's basketball team withdrew its eligibility for inclusion in the Southland Conference television package with FOX Sports Net.
  • A reduction in one available men's basketball scholarship for the 2004-05 academic year.
  • Letters of reprimand were sent from the institution's president to the former head men's basketball coach and a former assistant men's basketball coach, which became a permanent part of the coaches' employment files. These coaches also were not eligible for salary increases or bonuses of any type through the conclusion of the 2004-05 academic year.
  • The former assistant men's basketball coach and former head track coach were both asked to resign by the school's president and did so in the fall of 2003.
The members of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions who reviewed this case are Josephine R. Potuto, chair, professor of law, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Eileen K. Jennings, general counsel, Central Michigan University; Alfred Lechner, Jr., attorney, Lerner David LLP; Edward (Ted) Leland, vice president of advancement, University of the Pacific; Gene A. Marsh, professor of law, University of Alabama; Thomas R. Phillips, partner attorney, Baker Botts LLP; and Dennis E. Thomas, commissioner, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.


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