NCAA investigation into Syracuse reportedly involves extra benefits
Since Syracuse is a private institution under no obligation to reveal information it would prefer to keep quiet, the school has chosen to stay silent regarding the NCAA investigation into its football and men's basketball programs.
Even so, some pertinent details are still beginning to trickle out.
The scope of the investigation dates back about 10 years and includes allegations involving extra benefits and academic violations, ESPN.com reported Thursday night. The most serious alleged violations involve the men's basketball program, according to the report.
Syracuse will appear in front of the NCAA's committee on infractions Oct. 30-31, the Post-Standard reported earlier this week. When a hearing with the committee on infractions is required, that means it involves either level 1 or level 2 violations. The NCAA defines the former as "a violation that seriously undermines or threatens the integrity of any of the NCAA enduring values" and the latter as "a violation that provides or is intended to provide a minimal to significant recruiting, competitive or other advantage."
It's difficult to evaluate exactly what all that means for Syracuse without further information, but certainly none of it sounds promising. Considering the expansive scope of the investigation and the nature of the alleged violations, it has the potential to damage Syracuse's basketball program and longtime coach Jim Boeheim's legacy.
Still, it's far too soon to pass judgment. This week's reports shed a little bit of light on the investigation, but for now we're still mostly in the dark.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
