NCAA and Oklahoma State call reports of misconduct 'fundamentally unfounded'
The NCAA and Oklahoma State released a joint statement Tuesday regarding a September 2013 report of misconduct within the OSU football program. In it, the two parties say the allegations detailed in the report were "fundamentally unfounded."
Sports Illustrated ran a multi-part series on what it said were pay-for-performance systems, cheating, a "weed circle" at the school and the role hostesses played in recruiting of athletes. After the report, NCAA enforcement staff and an outside consultant conducted a review of the program. The statement said that while the allegations of misconduct were unfounded, the NCAA would issue a notice detailing three possible Level II violations.
After a thorough review by the NCAA Enforcement Staff and an outside consultant hired by Oklahoma State University, allegations of misconduct in the Oklahoma State football program as reported by the media in September 2013 were fundamentally unfounded.
Although a few individuals outside the university refused to cooperate, investigators reviewed approximately 50,000 emails and interviewed nearly 100 individuals involved with Oklahoma State’s football program, including current and former coaches, administrators, student-athletes, students and prospects.
Oklahoma State fully cooperated with the NCAA Enforcement Staff and participated in the interviews. As a result of the information collected during these joint interviews, the NCAA will issue a notice of allegations detailing three possible Level II violations.
According to the school, the three violations surround recruiting and drug testing. Level II violations are a "significant breach of conduct" and are lesser than Level I violations.
Level II are "violations that provide or are intended to provide more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage; includes more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive impermissible benefit; or involves conduct that may compromise the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model as set forth in the Constitution and bylaws."
In short, there likely won't be any major sanctions against the program as the result of the investigation.
“During the extensive inquiry, a few situations were identified which led to three allegations in a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA where it appears we may have misapplied our drug testing policy and on-campus recruiting practices. While we question whether these matters warrant a Level II designation, as indicated by the Enforcement Staff in the Notice of Allegations, we have modified our policies and practices in these specific matters to ensure compliance. The institution will prepare a response to the allegations and appear before the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions in the near future. The Committee on Infractions will review the positions of the Enforcement Staff and the University on the nature of each allegation. We look forward to our appearance before the Committee on Infractions to present our positions.
As the report came out at the beginning of last year, it dominated the early part of Oklahoma State's season. But the Cowboys' play on the field shifted the focus away as the team kept winning and went to the Cotton Bowl. In November 2013, coach Mike Gundy even wondered if the series boosted his team's recruiting.
Shortly after the statement from the NCAA and Oklahoma State was released, Sports Illustrated issued a statement standing by its story.
“Sports Illustrated firmly stands behind its comprehensive series on the Oklahoma State program. The investigation by the NCAA and an outside consultant hired by Oklahoma State was limited in scope but nonetheless revealed multiple NCAA violations including a “failure to monitor.” Nowhere does the report say our work is fundamentally unfounded and in fact it points to its own limitations in its ability to corroborate SI’s findings.”
You can read the entire joint statement by the NCAA and Oklahoma State here.
For more Oklahoma State news, visit O-State Illustrated.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
