Ole Miss Women’s Basketball Faces 3-Year Probation Period For NCAA Violations

Courtesy of Joshua McCoy / Ole Miss Athletics

The University of Mississippi has announced that the NCAA case involving Track & Field and Women’s Basketball has reached a conclusion.

According to NCAA’s press release, penalties include three years of probation and show-cause orders for a number of individuals. The university had self-imposed women’s basketball and women’s track recruiting restrictions from 2012 until now, which included women’s basketball scholarship reductions, a women’s basketball postseason ban and a prohibition of two-year college transfers in women’s basketball.

Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter said, “We regret the violations of NCAA bylaws in both programs and have taken several steps to prevent future violations. One of my first acts as chancellor was to seek a comprehensive external review of our athletics compliance function.  The review was recently completed and has confirmed to me that our compliance systems are robust while offering recommendations for areas where we can and will improve.  We are pursuing the implementation of the recommendations, and we believe in our strong athletics leadership team, which shares the values of the NCAA and Ole Miss.”

According to NCAA’s press release, a former University of Mississippi women’s basketball assistant coach, a former director of basketball operations and two women’s basketball student-athletes acted unethically when they committed academic fraud to ensure the student-athletes were eligible to enroll at the university, according to a decision issued by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel. In addition, they each provided false and misleading information during the investigation. The former head women’s basketball coach failed to monitor the two staff members’ activities surrounding the two student-athletes’ online coursework.

Penalties and corrective actions imposed by the panel include:

• A three-year probation period from Oct. 7, 2016, through Oct. 6, 2019.
• Six-year show-cause orders for the former assistant basketball coach and the former director of basketball operations from Oct. 7, 2016, through Oct. 6, 2022. During that period, if either individual is employed by an NCAA school in an athletically related position, school officials must appear with the individual before a Committee on Infractions panel.
• A two-year show-cause order for the former head basketball coach from Oct. 7, 2016, through Oct. 6, 2018. Any NCAA school employing him in an athletically related position during that time must appear with him before a Committee on Infractions panel.
• One-year show-cause orders for the former head track coach and the two former assistant track coaches. During that period, if either individual is employed by an NCAA school in an athletically related position, school officials must appear with the individual before a Committee on Infractions panel.

Self-imposed penalties by the university included:

• A reduction in the number of women’s basketball scholarships by two to 13 during the 2013-14 academic year.
• A reduction in women’s basketball official visits by four, from a total of 12 to eight, during the 2012-13 academic year and by two, from 12 to 10 total, during the 2013-14 academic year.
• A reduction in women’s track and field official visits by 30, from 60 to 30 total, during the 2014-15 academic year.
• A one-year women’s basketball postseason ban during the 2012-13 academic season.
• A reduction in women’s basketball recruiting-person days by 20, from 100 allowable days to 80, during the 2012-13 academic year.
• A reduction of women’s track and field recruiting-person days by 14.5, from 63.5 allowable days to 49, during the 2014-15 academic year.
• A prohibition of women’s basketball staff initiating phone calls with prospects and their families for eight weeks during the spring 2013 semester.
• A prohibition of the women’s basketball program from signing two-year college transfer prospects during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years.

Click here for official website and statement from the University:www.umncaacase.com.

Click here for the Committee on Infractions’ complete report (PDF):http://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2016INF_MississippiInfractionsPUBLICDecision_20161007.pdf

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