Updated: 8/10/2015 3:00 PM CST
morehouse.edu
Download the Morehouse College Public Infractions Decision
Morehouse College allowed 29 college athletes to compete while ineligible because they did not meet NCAA progress-toward-degree requirements or were not in good academic standing, according to a decision from the Division II Committee on Infractions.
The college did not properly monitor its athletics program when it did not establish an adequate system to comply with NCAA eligibility rules, provide adequate NCAA rules education and ensure that the appropriate staff member signed written scholarship offers to prospects.
ncaa.org
NCAA penalties
Penalties in the case include three years of probation, a $5,000 fine and a vacation of wins in which ineligible student-athletes competed.
This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort in which the involved parties collectively submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. The NCAA enforcement staff and college must agree to the facts of the case for this process to be utilized instead of having a formal hearing.
The majority of the 29 improper certifications occurred from 2010-11 through 2013-14 because the college improperly allowed three remedial courses to be used in the calculation of the college athletes’ progress-toward-degree requirements and continuing eligibility. Two college athletes also competed while they were not in good academic standing, contrary to college and NCAA rules.
From 2004 through 2014, the athletics department did not provide NCAA rules education to other campus departments and offices that were involved in the eligibility certification process, including the registrar. The college’s eligibility certification process used a computer program that allowed the remedial courses to fulfill progress-toward-degree requirements, which contributed to the violations. The college’s procedures did not include verifying the progress-toward-degree certifications. Because of this, the college failed to monitor its athletics programs.
About the committee
Penalties and corrective measures prescribed by the committee include:
- Public reprimand and censure.
- Three years of probation from July 15, 2015 through July 14, 2018.
- A $5,000 fine.
- A vacation of wins in which ineligible students competed, including any NCAA championship. The public decision contains additional details.
- Outside comprehensive audit of the college’s athletics compliance program.
- Attendance at a NCAA Regional Rules seminar in 2016 by the athletics director, compliance officer, registrar and financial aid director.
Members of the Committees on Infractions are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the Division II Committee on Infractions who reviewed this case are Douglas D. Blais, professor of sport management, Southern New Hampshire University; John D. Lackey, attorney; Bridget E. Lyons, senior associate director of athletics and senior woman administrator, Barry University; Julie Rochester, chair and faculty athletics representative and associate professor, Northern Michigan University; Carey Snyder, associate director of athletics, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania; and Jane Teixeira, associate commissioner and senior compliance administrator, Pacific West Conference.