The NCAA's Committee on Infractions has announced significant punishments against the Syracuse men's basketball program and its longtime, Hall of Fame coach, Jim Boeheim. Boeheim will be suspended for the team's first nine ACC games next season and the school will lose three scholarships per year through 2018-19 as punishment for infractions that occurred with the men's basketball program over the past 10 years.
The trangressions include "academic misconduct," repeated drug violations and a booster doling out cash to Syracuse players and staff members.
"Over the course of a decade, Syracuse University did not control and monitor its athletics programs, and its head men’s basketball coach failed to monitor his program," the NCAA's release states.
| Squeezing the orange |
| Some of the NCAA penalties for Syracuse's basketball program announced Friday for numerous violations the last 10 years |
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The school and Boeheim will also be forced to vacate its victories "in which ineligible men’s basketball students played in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2010-11 and 2011-12." Boeheim won 135 games in those five seasons; 106 of the wins will be taken out of the record books. His 2012-13 team, which reached the Final Four, was not found in violation of NCAA rules.
The NCAA also retroactively fined Syracuse $500 per game for contests that featured an ineligible player.
"The school must return to the NCAA all funds it has received to date through the former Big East Conference revenue sharing for its appearances in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament," according to the NCAAA's release.
The men's basketball and football programs have been placed on five years' probation, which will expire on March 5, 2020. The basketball program will also only be allowed to have two coaching staff members recruit on the road from June 1, 2015 through May 31, 2017.
As a precursor to the NCAA's ruling, Syracuse in early February announced a self-imposed postseason ban for this season. The program was not handed any more future postseason sanctions.
In a statement on behalf of the school, Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud wrote, "Syracuse University did not and does not agree with all the conclusions reached by the NCAA, including some of the findings and penalties included in today's report. However, we take the report and the issues it identifies very seriously, particularly those that involve academic integrity and the overall well-being of student-athletes."
The school is now taking into consideration appeals for some of the penalties.
According to the investigation, the NCAA uncovered a Syracuse booster who "developed relationships with men’s basketball and football students and members of the men’s basketball staff." Said booster gave in excess of $8,000 cash to three football and two men’s basketball players after volunteering with a local YMCA.Members on Syracuse's basketball staff were also paid for appearing at the YMCA.
The staff members neglected to report the payments to the school. In one case, the booster afforded a month's worth of rent money to a basketball staff member, according to the NCAA's report. Additionally, Syracuse football will have its wins vacated in from 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
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The 94-page report can be found here.
