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Oct. 5, 1999
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) today announcedthat the University of Virginia has been reprimanded for several secondaryviolations involving the men’s basketball program.
“We acknowledge that serious mistakes were made and that theresponsibility for those mistakes rests, not merely with our formerbasketball coaches, but with officials at all levels of the Department ofAthletics, myself included,” Athletics Director M. Terry Holland wrote tothe NCAA enforcement staff last Friday.
“We are pleased that the committee on infractions agreed that theviolations that occurred . . . did not result from an effort to obtain anunfair competitive advantage,” he said. “We have learned the lesson thatvigilance, even over those who act with honorable intentions, is vital” inoperating an athletics program fairly and in compliance with NCAA rules.Sanctions imposed by the NCAA’s infractions committee include the loss of agrant-in-aid in one of the next two years, fewer official visits to theUniversity this year by prospective student-athletes, warnings to several”representatives of the University’s athletics interests,” and morerigorous rules education for boosters and athletics department staff.
“Although this is a very serious case, it should be classified assecondary,” a member of the NCAA enforcement staff wrote to HollandSeptember 2, noting that themore serious violations were isolated to one prospective student-athleteand resulted inonly limited recruiting advantage because they occurred after the prospecthad signedletters of intent with the University.
Violations cited by the infractions committee include improperhousing arrangements, improper access to the team’s locker facilities,improper benefits providedby representatives of the University’s athletics interests, and failure bythe University to monitor recruitment of the individual after he had signedletters of intent to assure compliance with NCAA regulations.
In addition, as the result of an internal University inquiry in1998, U.Va. self-reported two other violations: improper contacts betweena booster and four prospective student-athletes and the improper loan tothree prospective athletes of workout clothes for pick-up basketball gamesthat they were not required to return.
Since last spring, Holland and the University’s associate athleticsdirector for compliance, Lynn M. Mitchell, have taken steps to assure thatsuch violations will not occur again, Holland said. Written policies havebeen issued that detail the requirements for complying with rules governingofficial and unofficial visits, housing and employment arrangements, andthe use of facilities and equipment.
In addition, Holland has notified the coaching staff of a series ofprogressively severe sanctions he will impose for involvement in futuresecondary violations. These include ineligibility for pay increases forrepeat violations and the loss of an athletic scholarship for a third orlater violation.
“We shall do our very best to avoid any repetition of the current,or any similar, situation,” Holland said.