NCAA penalizes UMass for basketball, tennis violations

The NCAA is stripping Massachusetts of victories in men’s basketball and women’s tennis for overpaying 12 athletes about $9,100 in financial aid over three years.

The NCAA announced Friday the Committee on Infractions had imposed a two-year probation on UMass that will end October 2022 in addition to vacating results involving athletes who received what were determined to be inappropriate payments.

The school will also pay a self-imposed fine of $5,000.

UMass plans to appeal the committee’s decision to vacate victories, which include 59 basketball wins and an Atlantic 10 Conference championship in women’s tennis from 2014-17.

The NCAA said four athletes received a higher housing rate after they moved to less-expensive off-campus housing, and eight continued to receive a telecom fee for those who live in on-campus after they moved to off. One athlete received both.

The NCAA determined the overpayments caused the athletes competed while ineligible.

The committee said a former associate athletics director’s misunderstanding of financial aid rules and administrative error resulted in the violations.