National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

March 17, 1997

Georgia placed on probation for two years

The NCAA Committee on Infractions has placed the University of Georgia on probation for two years for NCAA rules violations concerning recruiting and extra benefits.

Most of the violations involve an individual who was found to be a representative of the university's athletics interests, or booster. The individual may not have realized that he took on that role when he was involved in the recruitment of a number of prospects and provided improper recruiting inducements. The committee determined that he became a booster in November 1993 when he obtained high-school transcripts of prospects and provided them to Georgia football coaches.

The individual later paid for and helped several prospects with official visits to Georgia and attendance at Georgia's football camps. The committee received no evidence that the Georgia coaching staff knew about the funds the booster provided to the prospects. However, Georgia did receive a recruiting advantage from the efforts of the booster.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions heard this case January 31, 1997. Representatives of the university and the NCAA enforcement staff appeared before the committee.

The violations found by the committee included:

  • From November 1993 through the 1994-95 academic year, a representative of the university's athletics interests had improper recruiting contact with prospective student-athletes and provided recruiting inducements. He obtained high-school transcripts of five prospects for Georgia's football coaches. He provided cash to nine prospects on a number of occasions. He purchased meals for five prospects on two occasions. He paid for five prospects to attend the university's football camp and paid for three prospects to visit the Georgia campus.

  • From August 1994 to January 1995, the booster paid at least $7,000 for tuition, room, board and spending money to a walk-on football player.

  • In January 1994, a member of the football coaching staff directed three football student-athletes to visit a prospect at his home, 87 miles away, an improper recruiting contact.

    In determining appropriate penalties, the committee considered Georgia's corrective actions, including that it:

  • Continued to evaluate its athletics policies and procedures and revise its compliance manual with emphasis on rules education concerning representatives of the institution's athletics interests.

  • Evaluated and improved the written policy and procedures for internal investigations concerning NCAA violations.

  • Requested the Southeastern Conference office to conduct a seminar on boosters with all new coaching-staff members as soon as possible.

  • Improved the rules-education program by increasing seminars and testing opportunities for coaches, increasing education for boosters and increasing efforts to educate all staff.

  • Evaluated and improved record-keeping and oversight of summer camps.

    The Committee on Infractions adopted as its own penalties self-imposed by the university, including:

  • Reduction by five in the number of initial football scholarships during the 1997-98 school year to 20.

  • Reduction by six in the total number of football scholarships during the 1997-98 school year to 79 and by three during the 1998-99 school year to 82.

  • Reduction by eight in the number of football official visits during 1997-98 to 48 and by four in 1998-99 to 52.

  • Reduction by one in the number of coaches who may recruit off-campus for 1997-98.

  • Disassociation of the involved booster.

  • Prohibition against recruiting in Palm Beach County, Florida, during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 academic years.

    The Committee on Infractions imposed other penalties, including:

  • Two years of probation, from January 31, 1997.

  • Requirement to continue to develop and implement a comprehensive educational program on NCAA legislation.

  • Recertification of the institution's current athletics policies and practices.

  • Public reprimand and censure.

    As required by NCAA legislation for any institution in a major infractions case, Georgia is subject to the NCAA's repeat violator provisions for a five-year period beginning on the effective date of the penalties, in this case January 31, 1997.

    Should the University of Georgia wish to appeal this decision, it must submit a written notice of appeal to the NCAA executive director no later than 15 days from the date of this release. The Infractions Appeals Committee, a separate group, hears such appeals.

    The members of the Committee on Infractions who heard this case are Richard J. Dunn, divisional dean of humanities, University of Washington; Frederick B. Lacey, attorney, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene and MacRae, and a retired judge; Beverly F. Ledbetter, vice-president and general counsel, Brown University; James L. Richmond, retired judge and attorney; Yvonne (Bonnie) L. Slatton, chair of the department of physical education and sports studies, University of Iowa; and committee chair David Swank, professor of law, University of Oklahoma.

    The complete report of the Committee on Infractions will be published in the April 7 issue of The NCAA Register.