The NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions has placed Ohio Northern University on two years of probation and banned its football team from 2005 postseason competition for conducting a number of impermissible out-of-season practices.

The committee also rendered a finding of unethical conduct against the former head football coach for knowingly violating the out-of-season practice bylaws and asking other coaches and student-athletes to provide false or misleading information to investigators.

The institution terminated the head coach's contract after an internal investigation into the practices, all of which took place during summer 2003.

Between June and mid-August of that year, the former head coach and one of his assistants attended and provided skill instruction at "throwing sessions" attended by the quarterback and wide receivers. The coaches tracked who attended and contacted absentees.

During the week of August 18-23 of that year, the week before fall football camps, the coaches conducted larger practice sessions with position players. The players were divided by position and provided with skill instruction by members of the coaching staff.

The violations were discovered when athletics department staff members notified the athletics director of the practices.

The NCAA membership has clearly defined through its bylaws when practice sessions may take place. The bylaws exist to ensure competitive equity and to mitigate the time demands athletics places on student-athletes.

The former head coach claimed he was unaware of legislation making the practices impermissible.

In its public infractions report, the Committee on Infractions stated: "The rules he violated are well-known, clear and unambiguous. The former head coach was in his position for 17 years and his contention that he somehow was unaware of these basic tenets of competition is not persuasive."

The committee also noted that during a separate investigation in 1999, the former head coach acknowledged that coaches could not be present during out-of-season athletically related activities.

The former head coach's involvement in intentional violations, combined with his attempts to cover up the violations, is the basis for a finding of unethical conduct against him. Because the coach has not been involved in coaching since his termination, the committee did not impose any additional penalties against him. The committee noted that his actions would have warranted additional penalties had he remained in the coaching profession.

The committee also made two findings unrelated to the activities of the former head football coach. In 2004, a football student-athlete practiced and competed despite being in his 16th quarter of full-time enrollment. In 2001, a women's golf student-athlete also competed during her 16th quarter of enrollment. Division III bylaws require that student-athletes complete their seasons of participation by the end of the 15th quarter (or 10th semester) of full-time enrollment.

In addition to probation through September 20, 2007, the former head coach's contract termination and a ban on 2005 postseason football competition, penalties imposed by the committee and self-imposed by the institution include:

* Public reprimand and censure.

* The institution released two assistant football coaches, but reinstated them and allowed them to resign based on their willingness to assist with the university's internal investigation.

* The institution drafted letters of admonishment to two other assistant football coaches.

* All institutional personnel with oversight of athletics or eligibility matters shall attend an NCAA regional rules seminar within one year. They will be required to attend a session titled "Compliance Concepts," which is provided by the NCAA to assist Division III schools in complying with bylaws.

* All contests in which the football student-athlete competed while ineligible shall be vacated.

* All team points contributed by the women's golf student-athlete while she was ineligible shall be vacated.

During the probationary period, the university must develop and implement a comprehensive educational program on NCAA legislation, including seminars and testing designed for coaches, the faculty athletics representative, athletics department personnel and university staff responsible for certification of student-athletes for admission, retention, financial aid or competition.

The university must submit a preliminary report to the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions by November 15, 2005, that includes a schedule for establishing the compliance and educational program. It also must file annual compliance reports indicating progress made with this program. The institution shall be subject to NCAA legislation regarding repeat violators for a five-year period beginning September 21, 2005.

The members of the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions who heard the case are Geraldine Butler, an attorney with Baker & Hostetler LLP; Jone Dowd, committee chair and senior woman administrator at Catholic University; Mary Jo Gunning, athletics director at Marywood University; and Gerald Young, associate athletics director at Carleton College.