Colorado placed on probation
By Eliot Dempsey Colorado Daily Sports Editor
Thursday, June 21, 2007 8:10 PM MDT
The University of Colorado was placed on two years' probation and fined $100,000 by the NCAA on Thursday for inadvertently undercharging 133 athletes for meals totaling $61,700 from 2001-2005. The school also was ordered to cut one football scholarship for the next three seasons, reducing the total number to 24 per year.
The infractions occurred when the University of Colorado inadvertently undercharged non-scholarship (“walk-on”) student athletes for training table meals in two ways. The first violations centered on walk-ons who ate at training table meals even though their practice schedules did not preclude them from dining in residence halls.
The second involved walk-on student-athletes who lived off campus and who purchased a training table meal plan at residence hall rates directly from the Athletics Department rather than a meal plan directly from CU's Housing and Dining Department.
“Training table meals are approximately $14-$15,” Athletic Director Mike Bohn said. “Meals at the dining hall are about $7 or $8.”
The following announcement by CU-Boulder Chancellor G.P. “Bud” Peterson was read by Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost Phil Distefano to the media:
“I want to assure all our student-athletes, their parents, our faculty and staff, our alumni and our fellow NCAA Division I institutions that the University of Colorado at Boulder will fully comply with all of the NCAA's rules and regulations. I believe that this is strated by the fact that when we discovered what we suspected was a rules violation, we immediately self-reported it to the NCAA and worked with it to understand what was ultimately a very complicated and involved set of circumstances. We accept the NCAA ruling and are reassured by the fact that the NCAA Committee on Infractions essentially accepted the self-imposed sanctions we proposed as part of this process.”
Distefano, along with Bohn and Associate A.D. Ceal Barry, addressed the media following the announcement of the sanctions.
“This violation was not intentional but a misinterpreted legislation and an inadvertent error. We had no student athlete culpability in any way shape or form.” said Bohn.
“It would have been our strong desire to not have these sanctions or to have a major violation, but I am confident that we will not have adverse effects on the quality of our student athletes' opportunity to compete at the highest level and the exemplary experience at the University of Colorado. We are poised to address these sanctions and we will work hard to insure that they will not impede our progress and the long term success of our program.”
The violations, cited by the NCAA at a media briefing earlier in the day at the NCAA's offices in Indianapolis, Ind., occurred over a period spanning the 2000-01 academic year and extending to Sept. 16, 2005. They were discovered by Barry on that day and were communicated to NCAA officials by the university shortly thereafter.
Barry attributed the infractions to communication errors, mistakes in accounting, and the complexity of the financial aid program.
Most of the infractions occurred in football (86) and women's soccer (29), but also in women's volleyball (six), tennis (two) and golf (one) and in men's basketball (nine).
The probation will not limit CU's television exposure or NCAA tournament appearances, however.
With the football program losing one scholarship per year as an effect, Bohn had this to say regarding their status.
“Dan is going to have to overcome every coach in America saying we did something wrong, and we are on probation for two years. But if there is anyone who can overcome it, it's Dan and his staff.”
The nature of the infractions, because they were inadvertent and promptly reported, gave the NCAA reason to limit the penalty, said Paul Dee, infractions committee chair.
The university proposed a self-imposed repayment of the undercharged amount to the NCAA, but Dee said because the infractions occurred over such a lengthy period of time - from 2000-01 through the 2005-06 academic year - and involved so many student-athletes, the NCAA decided to fine the university $100,000.
The athletic department will fully fund all of the $100,000 fine, with $50,000 to be paid this year and the same amount the following year. The fine will be paid to an area hunger and homelessness relief charity.
