The NCAA News - News and Features

June 15, 1998

Reprimands issued in basketball, soccer

Two NCAA sports committees have issued reprimands, one in men's basketball and one in men's soccer, for unsporting behav-ior from student-athletes during championship competition.

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee issued a public reprimand to University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, student-athlete Makhtar Ndiaye for unsporting behavior during the 1998 Final Four.

The behavior involved an accusation Ndiaye directed at a student-athlete from the University of Utah. Ndiaye later recanted the accusation.

"Mr. Ndiaye's action was unacceptable and violated the principle of good sporting behavior that is expected of participants in intercollegiate athletics," said C. M. Newton, committee chair and director of athletics at the University of Kentucky.

Ndiaye and the university declined to appeal the committee's decision. Newton indicated that the committee would take no additional action and that it considered the matter closed.

In addition, the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Committee reprimanded State University of New York at Fredonia student-athlete Michael Domm for inappropriate behavior during the 1997 NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship.

Specifically, Domm verbally abused and spat at an official during the second half of a third-round game against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on November 15, 1997.

The committee issued a public reprimand of Domm and withheld transportation and per diem payment to Fredonia State for Domm's participation in the competition at the University of Rochester.

"The committee was very disappointed in Mr. Domm's behavior," said Leslie J. Poolman, committee chair and director of athletics at Dickinson College. "These types of actions only serve to discredit the student-athlete, Fredonia State, and the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship. We cannot condone this kind of unsportsmanlike behavior in NCAA championship competition or any other competition."