OK...does this surprise anyone-- here's even more evidence the mid-majors, especially if they have
marginally successful seasons, get hammered hard even for minor, unintentional violations.
A lower-mid-major (University of Louisiana-Lafayette) is found guilty by the NCAA of 3 violations, but it was made clear that the violations were
NOT INTENTIONAL.
--one is that a basketball player played a few games in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 after transferring from University of Florida.
He had a total of NINE hours of credits that were from corrspondence courses, and there was no argument that he actually took and completed these courses.
However, the NCAA deemed the courses were not allowable, therefore the player was ineligible. The school had deemed the courses as allowable.
--the 2nd violation was that some football recruits attended "impermissable summer workouts".
--the third violation was just the failure of the program to identify the first two...so in effect it wasn't really a new violation at all.
http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070420/UPDATES02/70420007/1006/SPORTS
So here are the penalties:
--Forfeit all men's basketball games in 2003-2004 AND 2004-2005.
--Forfeiture of Sun Belt Conference Western Division title in 2004 and back-to-back Sun Belt Tournament titles in 2004 and 2005. ULL's participation in the NCAA Tournament - two first-round losses - will also be expunged from the record books and public displays of performance in either tournament such as banners hanging in the Cajundome must be removed.
--men's basketball loses one scholarship for two years.
--Revenues totaling $19,551.47 from participation in the 2004 NCAA Tournament will also be forfeited.
--In football, ULL must reduce its spring workout hours from 20 to 15 for one week in either 2007 or 2008 spring drills.
--the ULL Athletic Department received public reprimand and censure,
two years of probation effective Thursday and running through April 18, 2009, and individuals involved with athletics in the admission, financial aid, compliance and registrar's offices and the faculty athletic representative must attend an NCAA compliance seminar prior to the end of the probation.
WOW--
If there's anyone left who doesn't feels the small and mid-major schools get hammered harder, just let me know.
Here were some unintentional and inadvertent violations, and they weren't that serious, but the program gets hit harder than most I have seen with huge major violations!
