Editor’s note: The article below is a republished story from The Daily Orange’s Oct. 1, 1992 edition. Then-sports editor Josh Barnett wrote it on the NCAA sanctions imposed against Syracuse after violations regarding SU’s men’s basketball, women’s basketball and football teams were released in a report.

The NCAA is set to release the results of its investigation into Syracuse athletics at noon on Friday. 

The Syracuse University men’s basketball team will not participate in this season’s NCAA Tournament as part of a two-year probation imposed on SU athletic programs by the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

The committee informed the university Wednesday and then announced its ruling Thursday morning at its offices at Overland Park, Kan.

The probation stems from violations found in men’s basketball, lacrosse, wrestling, football and women’s basketball.

“We’re happy to see this is over and we can go on and know what’s ahead of us,” Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim said. “I think the most difficult thing was not knowing what’s going to happen.”

Shaw said Wednesday that Syracuse will not appeal the NCAA decision.

Along with a ban from the NCAA Tournament, the Orangemen will lose one scholarship in each of the next two seasons.

Syracuse coaches also will not be allowed to recruit off campus from Jan. 1, 1993, to June 30, 1993. From July 1 through Dec. 31, only one coach can travel at a time for recruiting.

SU will also be forced to reduce the number of official recruiting visits from 15 to nine for one year beginning Nov. 13. Syracuse can increase the number of visits to 13 for the following year.

Boeheim said Syracuse has already lost two recruits this year because of the looming sanctions.

Rather than going through a hearing before the Committee on Infractions, Syracuse requested a summary disposition and on June 9 proposed voluntary penalties.

“It’s a far superior way to do it,” Syracuse Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw said of SU’s choice to use the new process. “We were willing to be the guinea pig. This is a more humane way of doing this.”

Syracuse is the first school to undergo summary disposition.

The committee ruled the violations resulted from a lack of institutional control, but would not place individual blame on either Athletic Director Jake Crouthamel or Boeheim.

“I think the basketball coach should have been aware some of these problems were occurring. Institutional control is an institutional matter rather than an individual matter.

“There was a lack of institutional control as far as what was going on in the men’s basketball program,” said David Swank, chairman of the Committee on Infractions and dean of the University of Oklahoma School of Law.

“We believed (violations) couldn’t happen here,” Shaw said. “We believed everything could be handled informally and we were wrong.

“Clearly our compliance efforts did not keep pace with the regulations stipulated by the NCAA.”

Syracuse’s cooperation with the enforcement staff was a factor in the NCAA ruling, Swank said.

“The actions of Syracuse actually were very important in adopting the penalty structure,” he said. “If not for their cooperation, the penalty would have been much greater.”

Syracuse had proposed to donate $346,286, the amount of money SU would have received for playing in the NCAA Tournament, in lieu of the ban. Syracuse proposed one year of probation and proposed no recruiting or scholarship restrictions.

Shaw said SU was hoping the contribution would limit the impact the sanctions would have on players.

“We not could not accept that penalty,” Swank said. “It’s a commendable idea, but it’s not within the penalty structure of the NCAA.”

The committee did not accept Syracuse’s proposed penalties and ordered an expedited hearing to determine violations Aug. 8.

The Committee then imposed minimum penalties as prescribed in the NCAA Bylaws.

In penalizing the university, the committee also found violations in football and women’s basketball.

Football violations included free or reduced-rate meals to players by area merchants. The football program also exceeded its scholarship limitations.

Two women basketball players received gifts of clothing and free services from area merchants.

No sanctions were imposed upon the women’s basketball or football programs.

Compiled by Matt Schneidman, asst. sports editor, mcschnei@syr.edu

Published on March 6, 2015 at 10:56 am