3:30 p.m. – SMU President R. Gerald Turner and Athletic Director Rick Hart held a press conference in McFarlin Auditorium. President Turner said, “This is obviously a disappointing day for the SMU family. It is hard on everybody that loves SMU, involved with our intercollegiate athletic programs or simply the entire university effort.”
Both President Turner and AD Hart spoke about the necessity for fairness to the student-athletes. Hart said it was difficult to meet with the players on both the men’s basketball and men’s golf teams because they “had an opportunity that they value taken from them.” Turner said, “tying this too much to the student-athletes is unfair and will ultimately be viewed that way.”
President Turner also spoke about Head Coach Larry Brown. He said, “Coach Brown has my full support going forward” and “we intend for him to be our basketball coach in the future.”
Turner and Hart indicated that SMU was going to evaluate the appeal process before it makes any decisions on whether to appeal or not. They need to ensure that an appeal and eventual loss would not cause the bans to be carried over to the next season. However, President Turner did say that “there is a clear basis for an appeal.”
1:35 p.m. – SMU released a statement on the NCAA ban that came out earlier today. Both the basketball and golf teams have been given penalties for their actions from the Committee on Infractions and have 15 days to file an appeal.
President R. Gerald Turner, Director of Athletics Rick Hart, and Basketball Head Coach Larry Brown all made statements on the news that upset the entire campus.
“I truly believe that our program has dedicated itself unwaveringly to the ideals of academic integrity and NCAA compliance,” Brown said. “Still, there was a violation in our program and I take responsibility for that and offer my sincere apologies to the University community.”
Turner issued a separate email in reaction to the NCAA sanctions.
“SMU disagrees with some of the Committee’s conclusions and penalties,” Turner said. “As we consider an appeal, we are particularly concerned about sanctions that are punitive against student-athletes who were not involved in the infractions. We are committed to moving forward in the best interests of our student-athletes and the University.
The Daily Campus will continue to update as more information becomes available.
To learn more, take a look at Sports writer Patrick Engel’s explanation of Tuesday’s events.
To see a few student reactions, take a look at our roundup of #SMUNCAA tweets. Continue sharing your reactions on the ruling with #SMUNCAA on Twitter.
11:28 a.m. – The NCAA handed out severe punishments to the SMU men’s basketball and golf teams Tuesday morning.
The report from the NCAA states that SMU “committed multiple violations, including academic fraud, unethical conduct and head coach control in the men’s basketball program and recruiting and unethical conduct in the men’s golf program.”
The ruling was made by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.
According to a release from the NCAA, Head Coach Larry Brown “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance when he did not report violations and was not initially truthful during an interview with NCAA enforcement staff.”
Penalties for the mens’ team include: three years of probation from Sept. 29, 2015, through Sept. 28, 2018; a postseason ban for the men’s basketball and golf teams; scholarship reductions; recruiting restrictions; a vacation of certain men’s basketball wins; the disassociation of a booster; a $5,00 fine; and a suspension of 30 percent of the men’s basketball season for the head coach.
The Daily Campus is continuing to report on this story and will update throughout the day. We also invite you to share your own reactions to the NCAA ruling on Twitter with the hashtag #SMUNCAA.
