Download the May 2017 York College Public Infractions Decision
A former York (New York) head men's basketball coach violated head coach responsibility rules and acted unethically, according to a decision by the NCAA Division III Committee on Infractions. The former coach knowingly and improperly certified the eligibility of two student-athletes and provided misleading information to the NCAA enforcement staff and the college, the committee found. The college failed to monitor the academic certification process within the men's basketball program, which led to the improper certification of eight student-athletes.
The college certified eight men's basketball student-athletes as eligible, when they either did not have the required 2.0 GPA, were enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours or were not certified by the City University of New York Athletic Conference deadline.
The former head coach also served as the college's athletics director and, in that role, signed eligibility forms. He certified six of the eight men's basketball student-athletes as eligible without being aware of potential eligibly issues. The former head coach certified the remaining two student-athletes' eligibility when he knew they did not meet requirements. The compliance coordinator and an assistant men's basketball coach notified the former head coach that four men's basketball student-athletes did not have the minimum 2.0 GPA to stay eligible.
Shortly after that notification, the former head coach removed two of the student-athletes from the roster. The remaining two student-athletes had considerably more playing time than the two student-athletes who were removed. The former head coach also accessed the two student-athletes' transcripts before certifying their eligibility.
When questioned about his knowledge and role in the improper certification of the two student-athletes, the former head coach denied knowing they were ineligible when he signed their eligibility forms and did not recall the staff informing him they did not meet requirements.
The college acknowledged it did not appropriately oversee the former head coach in his dual roles as a head coach and the athletics director. It also agreed it did not provide sufficient eligibility certification education to the compliance coordinator and to an academic advisor.
The penalties include:
- Public reprimand and censure.
- Two years of probation from May 19, 2017, through May 18, 2019.
- A three-year show-cause order for the former head coach from May 19, 2017, through May 18, 2020. If the former head coach is employed by an NCAA member school and an NCAA school hires him in an athletically related position, he and the school have an opportunity to appear before the Committee on Infractions to determine if the former coach's athletically related duties should be limited.
- A vacation of wins in which men's basketball student-athletes competed while ineligible. The college will identify the games impacted following the release of the public report.
- Attendance by the athletics director, the chief compliance administrator and the athletics director's supervisor at an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar at least once during the probation period.
- A $4,000 fine.
The members of the Division III Committee on Infractions who reviewed this case included Amy Hackett, committee chair and director of athletics at Puget Sound; Effel Harper, an associate professor and faculty athletics representative at Mary Hardin-Baylor; Brian Halloran, attorney in private practice; Nancy Meyer, director of women's athletics at Calvin; and Gerald Young, athletics director at Carleton.