National Collegiate Athletic Association

The NCAA News - News and Features

August 18, 1997

Grambling placed on two years' probation for infractions

The NCAA Committee on Infractions has placed Grambling State University on probation for two years for violations in the areas of recruiting, practice seasons, academic eligibility and institutional control.

The violations occurred in the sports of football and men's and women's basketball.

In the sport of football, the violations included impermissible recruiting contacts with prospective transfer student-athletes by an assistant football coach before Grambling State had received written permission from the other universities. In addition, impermissible tryouts for prospective student-athletes and out-of-season practices for enrolled student-athletes were conducted over a five-year period in football.

The violation in women's basketball occurred when a student-athlete was permitted to practice, participate and receive financial aid during the 1993-94 and 1995-96 seasons after her ACT test score had been invalidated.

In addition, a men's basketball student-athlete participated in five games in November and December 1993 while ineligible because he failed to complete 24 credit hours during the previous academic year as required by NCAA bylaws.

Grambling State was also found for a lack of institutional control for failing to educate its football coaching staff on NCAA rules, to monitor out-of-season activities that constituted impermissible tryouts and practices, to comply with initial-eligibility legislation, and to monitor recruiting contacts and visits.

The school also failed to report potential violations in a timely manner in one instance. When the violations were reported, the report was inaccurate.

In addition to the probation, other penalties imposed by the committee included reduction in the number of permissible official visits in football for 1997-98, and the forfeiture of some women's basketball games in 1993-94 and 1995-96 when an ineligible student-athlete participated.

The university had already self-imposed penalties that included forfeiting three men's basketball games played in November and December 1993 with an ineligible player and permitting only two football coaches to recruit off campus. In the latter penalty, the committee extended the limitation through December 31, 1997.

Grambling is also required to provide intensive on-campus compliance education for its football coaches, continue to develop a comprehensive compliance program and report to the committee on those efforts, and require the assistant football coach involved in this case to attend an NCAA regional rules-compliance seminar.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions heard this case June 2, 1997. Representatives of the university, the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the assistant football coach involved in this case and the NCAA enforcement staff appeared before the committee.

The violations found by the committee included:

  • During the spring and summer of 1995, members of the football coaching staff had impermissible recruiting contacts with two transfer student-athletes prior to obtaining written permission from the NCAA institutions where the student-athletes were or had recently been enrolled.

  • During the 1991-92 through 1995-96 academic years, members of the football coaching staff routinely observed workouts of prospective and enrolled student-athletes, which violated tryout and practice legislation.

  • During the summer of 1995, an assistant football coach conducted impermissible instructional sessions for two prospective student-athletes and provided improper recruiting materials to one of the prospective student-athletes.

  • During the 1993-94 and 1995-96 academic years, a women's basketball student-athlete practiced, competed and received athletically related financial aid while academically ineligible and during the fall of 1993 a men's basketball student-athlete competed while ineligible.

  • On one occasion in May 1995, an assistant football coach had an improper in-person recruiting contact with a prospective student-athlete during an evaluation period.

  • There was a lack of institutional control.

    In determining appropriate penalties, the committee considered Grambling State's corrective actions, including:

  • Required the head football coach to participate in an intensive rules review with the faculty athletics representative's office.

  • Directed the faculty athletics representative and compliance officer to monitor recruits while on campus.

  • Cautioned in writing all coaches to take steps to avoid impermissible tryouts of prospective student-athletes, with notice that failure to do so may result in termination of employment.

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

  • Only the two football coaches specified by the university may recruit off campus. The committee adopted this penalty on the condition that it continues through at least December 31, 1997.

  • The institution forfeited three men's basketball games won by the institution and in which an ineligible student-athlete participated on November 29 and December 4 and 7, 1993.

    Because of the apparent lack of knowledge of recruiting rules by the football coaching staff, the lack of institutional control and the participation of an ineligible women's basketball student-athlete, the committee imposed the following additional penalties.

  • Two years of probation.

  • Reduction by six in the number of permissible official visits in football during the 1997-98 academic year.

  • Forfeiture of the women's basketball games in which an ineligible student-athlete participated during the 1993-94 and 1995-96 academic years.

  • Requirement that the football coaches receive intensive on-campus compliance education and training from the university's compliance officer.

  • Requirement that the institution continue to develop a comprehensive athletics compliance education program, with annual reports to the committee during the period of probation.

  • Recertification of current athletics policies and practices.

  • Show-cause requirement specifying that the assistant football coach involved in this case must attend an NCAA regional rules-compliance seminar.

    As required by NCAA legislation for any institution in a major infractions case, Grambling State 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, June 2, 1997.

    The members of the Committee on Infractions who heard this case are Richard J. Dunn, divisional dean of humanities, University of Washington; Jack H. Friedenthal, dean of law, George Washington University; Roy F. Kramer, commissioner, Southeastern Conference; Frederick B. Lacey, attorney, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene and MacRae and a retired judge; Beverly E. Ledbetter, vice-president and general counsel, Brown University; Yvonne (Bonnie) Slatton, chair of the department of physical educational and sports studies, University of Iowa; and David Swank, professor of law, University of Oklahoma.

    The complete report of the Committee on Infractions will be published in the September 1 issue of The NCAA Register.