NCAA Ready to Enforce Stiff Penalties: Schools with long-term academic problems will face tough penalties, according to new guidelines set by the NCAA after discussing the issue at its recent meetings. Under the latest proposal, the worst offenders face a ban from post-season play and could lose their conference’s share of NCAA tournament money. Other penalties may include restrictions on recruiting, scholarships and a shortened schedule.
The NCAA is already implementing a system that will strip scholarships from teams that do not do well in the classroom. It has collected data on each team’s graduation rate and academic eligibility for the past two years to determine a score, with 1,000 as the maximum. The association imposes penalties on schools that score less than 925. Those rules apply only to the short-term. But the new penalties are based on a team’s average in several years. Under those guidelines, any team with an average score lower than 900 in a four-year period would face the harshest sanctions. NCAA President Myles Brand has consistently supported the formula since taking over in 2003. [8/04/06]
