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The NCAA News -- August 16, 1999

Infractions case: Bucknell University

Bucknell University will be on probation for four years as part of the penalties applied by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions for violations of bylaws in the school's wrestling program.

Findings by the committee included violations of NCAA rules governing recruiting, summer athletics camps, employment of student-athletes and prospective student-athletes, extra benefits, ethical conduct, and institutional control.

In addition to probation, the committee also restricted the school's participation in postseason competition, off-campus recruiting and awarding financial aid in wrestling. Show-cause penalties were levied against the former head wrestling coach and a faculty member who was a volunteer assistant coach. A show-cause penalty requires any NCAA institution seeking to employ an individual subject to show-cause provisions to appear before the Committee on Infractions. The committee determines whether the individual's athletically related duties should be limited for a specified time.

According to the committee's findings, the former head wrestling coach and former volunteer assistant coach provided an improper recruiting inducement to a prospect through summer employment funded by two representatives of the university's athletics interests who supported the wrestling program. This employment arrangement continued for an additional two years after the prospect became a student-athlete. The wages were excessive for the type of work performed and the actual hours worked.

In addition, the same prospect was compensated for work not performed as a student-athlete for three academic years from 1994 to 1997 in the school's intramural sports program.

The former head coach also employed 14 prospective student-athletes at his wrestling camp over a four-year period prior to their initial enrollment, which is a violation of NCAA bylaws. The prospects received free room and board in lieu of wages.

The committee found that the school and head coach failed to monitor adequately the conduct and administration of the university's wrestling program and that the school failed to exercise appropriate institutional control.

The institution appeared before the committee February 6-7, 1999. The violations found by the committee were:

  • During the summer of 1994, the head wrestling coach and the volunteer assistant wrestling coach provided an improper recruiting inducement to a high-profile prospective student-athlete consisting of impermissible financial aid in the guise of a spurious internship funded by two athletics representatives who supported the wrestling program. The amount of the internship ($5,000) was grossly excessive for the type of work performed and the actual hours worked by the prospective student-athlete.

  • During the summers of 1995 and 1996 through arrangements made by the head wrestling coach, a student-athlete was employed at a rate that was in excess of the prevailing local wage rate for similar work. The student-athlete received $5,000 each summer despite working fewer than the 400 hours he agreed to work each summer, thus receiving grossly excessive compensation for any work that he did perform.

  • Through arrangements made by the head wrestling coach, a student-athlete was compensated for work he did not perform while employed in the university's intramural sports program during the 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97 academic years.

  • During the summers of 1994 through 1997, the head wrestling coach employed prospective student-athletes at his wrestling camp, where they received cost-free room and board.

  • There was a lack of monitoring of the wrestling program by both the institution and the head wrestling coach.

  • At the time of the violations, there were inadequate institutional policies and procedures designed to deter such violations, and there was a lack of institutional control over the wrestling program by the university.

  • The wrestling coach involved in this case violated the NCAA standards of ethical conduct.

  • The volunteer assistant coach involved in this case violated the NCAA standards of ethical conduct.

    In determining Bucknell's penalties, the committee considered the school's self-imposed corrective actions, including:

  • The head wrestling coach was relieved of his coaching duties and of his position as the director of intramurals and recreation.

  • The faculty assistant coach has been removed from all involvement with the wrestling program.

  • The university instituted an intensive rules and regulation education and follow-up process, including mandatory rules testing for its coaches.

    The committee applauded the actions taken by the university and as a result made a decision not to impose all of the penalties available. However, because of the serious nature of the violations, the number of violations and the lack of institutional control, the committee imposed a number of other penalties, including:

  • Public reprimand and censure.

  • Four years of probation.

  • Restriction on the wrestling team's participation as a team in postseason competition following the 1999-00 season.

  • Prohibition of initial athletically related financial aid awards in the sport of wrestling for a period of two years beginning with the 2000-01 academic year.

  • Prohibition of off-campus recruiting in the sport of wrestling during the period from August 15, 1999, through June 1, 2000.

  • Disassociation of a representative of the institution's athletics interests who was involved in this case.

  • Requirement that the institution develop and implement formal institutional policies and procedures to ensure compliance with NCAA legislation.

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

  • Requirement that the institution develop and implement a rules-education program specifically designed to educate representatives of the institution's athletics interests regarding NCAA legislation.

  • Recertification of current athletics policies and practices.

  • Show-cause requirement regarding the head wrestling coach for a period of five years.

  • Show-cause requirement imposed on the volunteer assistant wrestling coach for a period of four years.

    Following the February hearing, the committee informed the school that there may have been violations of NCAA tryout legislation relating to the former head wrestling coach's involvement in the conduct of high-school all-star contests. The committee instructed the NCAA enforcement staff to investigate the issue, and that effort will be processed as a separate matter.

    As required by NCAA legislation, Bucknell will be subject to the Association's repeat violator bylaws for a five-year period beginning on the effective date of the penalties, February 7, 1999.

    The members of the Division I Committee on Infractions who heard this case are: David Swank, committee chair, professor of law, University of Oklahoma; Alice Gresham Bullock, dean, Howard University School of Law; Richard J. Dunn, professor of English, University of Washington; Jack H. Friedenthal, professor of law, George Washington University; Frederick B. Lacey, attorney and retired judge, LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, Newark, New Jersey; James Park Jr., attorney and retired judge, Brown, Todd & Heyburn, Lexington, Kentucky; Yvonne (Bonnie) L. Slatton, chair, department of physical education and sports studies, University of Iowa; and Thomas E. Yeager, commissioner, Colonial Athletic Association.