Didn't see this posted anywhere
I'm sure SOME of you will have some comments about this.
TDF
LSU avoids more penalties by NCAA for cheating
May 7, 2004
SportsLine.com wire reports
BATON ROUGE, La. -- The NCAA will not punish LSU further for cheating and academic misconduct, agreeing with the school's report that violations were secondary and not systemic
The NCAA's ruling came after the organization reviewed a 1,300-page report which followed allegations that LSU athletes in 2002 cheated on tests, plagiarized papers and benefited from pressure on faculty to change grades.
"I was very proud at the time of the way this university responded," Chancellor Mark Emmert said. "I remain so."
The NCAA will take no further action beyond penalties that LSU already imposed: the loss of two football scholarships for 2005; the loss of four official visits by recruits; and discipline against those involved.
"I don't think this hurts Coach (Nick) Saban or the football program in any way," LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said. "But he was penalized for actions for which he was not responsible."
LSU will sign only 23 players rather than the 25 it is entitled to. The school could have had 52 official visits from athletes this year rather than the 55 allowed by the NCAA. Instead it had only 46, below the 52 it had imposed as a sanction.
LSU instructor Tiffany Mayne and graduate assistant Caroline Owen filed lawsuits against the university, alleging that they were told to change the grades of players who plagiarized papers to keep the players eligible for the 2000 Peach Bowl. Those lawsuits are in federal court in Baton Rouge.
"Basically it was because of the courage of my clients that LSU was able to discover the misconduct and correct it," said Jill Craft, attorney for Mayne and Owen. "If they had not been courageous enough to do that LSU might have been facing a much worse situation."
LSU transferred a former Academic Center for Student Athletes director and reprimanded an employee of the athletic department as corrective measures.
The misconduct was a prospective player receiving free tutoring he was not entitled to receive. The player was unaware that he was not entitled to the tutoring, but donated $40 to charity to cover the cost of the tutoring. A text book also had key passages underlined by a tutor so two players would not have to read the entire book.
The school said there was no plagiarism, cheating or serious misconduct at the academic center. The NCAA agreed by ruling that the violations were secondary instead of major. Secondary is an isolated or inadvertent breaking of an NCAA rule, said Chris Howard, who is in charge of overseeing compliance at LSU.
LSU also made changes concerning athletes and the academic center that took effect last fall and were aimed at preventing future problems.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
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Originally Posted by Champ967
