Ole Miss hit with 2-year bowl ban, scholarship restrictions
After almost five years of investigating, the NCAA has finally ruled on the Ole Miss recruiting case.
"The University of Mississippi lacked institutional control and fostered an unconstrained culture of booster involvement in football recruiting," the NCAA wrote in its statement. "Six football staff members and 12 boosters were involved in the violations, which included the provision of approximately $37,000 to prospects through cash payments, the use of automobiles, lodging, transportation, meals and apparel. Two staff members also helped arrange fraudulent standardized test scores for three prospects."
The major penalties include a two-year bowl ban, which includes this season's self-imposed ban, a reduction of multiple scholarships, and show-cause penalties for former coach Hugh Freeze and members of his staff.
The show-cause penalty requires any school wanting to hire Freeze or members of his staff to meet with the infractions committee ahead of time.
The school self-imposed a bowl ban for this season, as well as the loss of 11 total scholarships over a four-year span, meaning they'll be bowl eligible again in the 2019 season.
Some of the other penalties include:
- Three years probation, from Dec. 1, 2017 to Nov. 30, 2020.
- $197,797 fine which was self-imposed by the university.
- Two-conference-game suspension for the 2018 season for Freeze should he be hired before Nov. 30, 2018.
- Eight-year show-cause order for the operations coordinator.
- Five-year show-cause order for the assistant coach who facilitated standardized test fraud and living arrangements.
- Two-year show-cause order for the other assistant coach involved.
- Five-year show-cause order for the assistant athletic director.
- Vacation of all regular-season and postseason wins that saw ineligible student-athletes participate.
Ole Miss was accused of 15 Level I violations in the recruiting scandal, including the dreaded "lack of institutional control." They appeared in front of the NCAA committee on infractions in early September.