NCAA Sanctions Are Nothing New For Larry Brown, SMU

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will appeal his nine-game ACC suspension Monday in Indianapolis and will use the NCAA’s penalties against SMU counterpart Larry Brown as part of his case, a source told ESPN. He failed to report the violations when the former administrative assistant committed academic fraud on behalf of the student-athlete and he initially lied to enforcement staff about his knowledge of the potential violations. The Orange also received a slew of other penalties, stemming from an eight-year NCAA investigation into the program. In addition to the post-season ban, SMU will lose nine scholarships over three years. Maligi left the program last season and did not return.

Noting NCAA rules dictate the head coach is responsible for the entire program, Brown said he accepted that responsibility, but did “not accept the appropriateness of the punishment”.

NCAA compliance is clearly a major issue at SMU; Turner says the university funds five full-time positions devoted exclusively to making sure everyone follows the rules – all day, every day, temptation to cut corners be damned.

Turner also said he supported Coach Brown and said he plans for him to be the head coach at SMU moving forward.

“I’m overwhelmingly disappointed for our players and the SMU community that the NCAA has chose to punish them as a result of the unfortunate actions of one staff member who provided inappropriate help to one of our players”, Brown said, according to WFAA, adding that he does not think the punishment fits the transgression. He said he had nothing to be ashamed of. “I’m proud of the things we achieved and I’m proud of the program we ran, I’m proud of the kids that played for me”.

A few NCAA violations are absurd because they are petty. “After he enrolled in the course, a former men’s basketball administrative assistant obtained the student’s username and password then completed all of his coursework”, the NCAA said in a release.

“The committee’s responsibility is to look at this institution and to look at what may or may not have been done improperly in this case”, Adams said. “We are particularly concerned about sanctions that are punitive against student-athletes who were not involved in any infractions”.

“Upon learning of the misconduct in 2014, the head basketball coach did not report it to the compliance staff, conference office or enforcement staff for more than a month”, the report stated.

There were also scholarship and recruiting reductions issued for the men’s golf team.

SMU is still the only school ever given the NCAA’s so-called death penalty in football for multiple violations and the program was shut down for two seasons, 1987 and 1988. Among the infractions cited by the NCAA were that between December 6, 2012, and October 23, 2013, the former head golf coach and an assistant coach engaged in 64 impermissible recruiting contacts with 10 men’s golf prospects and seven parents.