TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama has told the NCAA that athletes improperly got free textbooks for other students and that the school failed to adequately monitor distribution.
The university said Thursday that the hearing before the Committee on Infractions was held on Feb. 20. The university reported the violations after uncovering them during the 2007 football season, when five players were suspended.
The university admitted in its 67-page response to the NCAA’s notice of allegations that infractions occurred in several sports and that it didn’t adequately monitor its distribution of textbooks to athletes.
The NCAA letter, dated May 19, 2008, said the allegations against Alabama were potentially major. They included allowing athletes to improperly receive textbooks and other supplies, failure to monitor textbook distribution and to provide adequate education on the rules to athletes and employees at the university bookstore.
The violations allegedly occurred from the 2005-06 school year through the fall of 2007, which means the university could be punished as a repeat violator. The football program was placed on probation on Feb. 1, 2002.
“Compliance with NCAA and SEC rules is of the utmost importance to the University of Alabama and our athletics department, and I am pleased with the way our compliance officers handled this situation,” Alabama President Dr. Robert Whitt said in a statement. “UA works diligently to ensure that integrity and a commitment to excellence are the hallmarks of our athletics program.”
Alabama suspended five football players for four games for using their athletic scholarships to get free textbooks for others. The names of the football players and other athletes and sports involved were blacked out in documents made public Thursday because of federal privacy laws. The university said some athletes intentionally broke rules.
“These intentional wrongdoers knew that they were taking advantage of the university and its Supply Store,” the university said in its response to the NCAA. “However, these student-athletes believed that because the textbooks were either returned to the Supply Store or charged to them if not returned, no NCAA rules were implicated by their conduct.”
The university said none of the textbooks or materials were used for profit or to get items not related to academics, and that the athletes involved who still have eligibility remaining have had to pay restitution.
Alabama said it has since required NCAA compliance officials to be present during all periods for student-athletes to pick up textbooks.
The violations were uncovered after an Alabama Supply Store employee noticed that one athlete had more than $1,600 in charges for the fall semester of 2007.
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Comments » 148
volstasis writes:
Where's the Kiffin bashers at now, humm? Seems he had Saban pegged.
HallowedHill writes:
Minor violation at best, move along, nothing to see here.
vscebail#247785 writes:
Textbooks??? --Are you kidding me? Not only did they commit NCAA violations, they violated the entire academic history of the University of Alabubba!!! Here's to the Tide's excellent degree programs of pencil-sharpening and ditch-digging! LMAO!!!
byobbio writes:
Fifth or so!
tngl4ut writes:
fourth
tngl4ut writes:
oh man you other guys beat me, next to the day I got married and the birth of my child I have always wanted to post first on a govols.com article
byobbio writes:
I wish everybody would just get off of Nick Saban's back. i mean, what did he ever do to us? Seriously, i think we have Saban to thank for getting Lane and co. And i think we have a better shot at Florida than people think. IMO, we have to win that game down there somehow. If they have to drag our players off the field at the end of that game then so be it. We will win down there. There are two teams on the field and we want it really bad. i can just smell the victory. Now, what was the question?
sidwalkvol writes:
I think we need to have a "standings" page that tallies secondary violations, SEC East and SEC West, and announce the winner at halftime off the championship game at the Georgia Dome. Maybe the winner gets a case of Dr. Pepper to give to prospective recruits.
volstasis writes:
That would probably be a violation also.
vscebail#247785 writes:
Textbooks??? --Are you kidding me? Not only did they commit NCAA violations, they violated the entire academic history of the University of Alabubba!!! Here's to the Tide's excellent degree programs of pencil-sharpening and ditch-digging! LMAO!!!
Oh yeah! I almost forgot the "trampy-skirt-chasing" degree -- I think that was Coach Mike Price's sole contribution to the University of Alabama!
sidwalkvol writes:
wennie?
westennvol writes:
Where is the censure from SEC head office on this one? The grand tradition of Bama bending the rules to suit themselves continues...... guess Fat Phil was really on to something when he ratted them out to the NCAA a few years ago.......
VOLlivin_inbama writes:
No Sir, this is a MAJOR violation, but..........UA's compliance office seems to have handeled it correctly. So probably nothing else comes out of it.
volstasis writes:
The NCAA is the one reaching, we're just having fun with it.
AllVol2008#1353998 writes:
Pretty funny. I've done it, man. The feeling is indescribable. I mean I felt absolutely nothing, so I couldn't describe it.
UTandETSUfan writes:
Actually, this is classified as a "Major" violation. And after the last violation, weren't they close to the death penalty?
AllVol2008#1353998 writes:
Damn straight. The cockroaches won't be out of hiding for awhile.
cjraney writes:
I feel dumber following any contact with Bammer fans.
But on the topic, the kids were punished. There was no competitive advantage gained on the field or in recruiting, so no big deal to UT.
volstasis writes:
Neither does the pop-up picture ones at Fla.
bloodrunsorange writes:
Who are the whiners going to subpoena now? Every time something doesn’t happen the way they want they whine and then want to subpoena someone. It wasn’t that way when the Bear was alive. When they lost they had some class about it. Now whine and subpoena is all they seem to know..
crappieking writes:
You took gatorzz's bait Volstasis.
BIGEJ writes:
Funny....just like how do you get a Florida grad off the porch? Pay him for the pizza, how do you get a Florida girl out of her dorm room? Grease her hips and push her thru the "barn" door.... How does MENSA rate the IQ of a Florida grad?....Take the square root of the Florida grad shoe size.....and so on.....
vol_in_bigten_land writes:
Yea bibles are free in JAIL in florida. Want happen there.
volstasis writes:
Wonder if this will rattle some of this years recruits at Bama?
UTandETSUfan writes:
come on fellas, they are just "redistributing" their wealth like the good reds they are.
Rammer Jammer, sickle and hammer, go to hell commie-bammer!
OrangePossum writes:
Speaking of minor violations!! How 'bout third
mattlock writes:
What about Tebow's Playgirl subscription, does that count?
volstasis writes:
That explains the booster wanting to sue for more money. I knew there was something more to that story.
bigtimevol writes:
The wildest thing was when the Bama coaches ripped off the text book covers in front of a bunch of junior recruits recently. First, the special teams coordinator, then the offensive and defensive coordinators...then Saban tore a Calculus book in half...pretty crazy scene, but got everyone fired up!
OrangePossum writes:
Probably not, we still can't match the starting salary that 'bammer pays incoming freshmen!!
DennisVols writes:
I guess they needed more Dr Seuss books than the university was willing to give out.
BIGEJ writes:
It is the Alabama/Satan stimulus plan; buy books for those who will actually use them.
gohawks1 writes:
BREAKING NEWS - the University of Florida also uncovered a violation relating to a textbook used by the school's football players.
The textbook for the university's Advanced Reading class, "Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Moon", is being sold by the bookstore as a new book even though UF players have already used them. When asked about the incident, a UF bookstore representative said, "Well, they were still in mint condition because the books are on a reading level that is too difficult for the football players, so they aren't really using them too much."
illinoisvolfan writes:
Funny. At least Tennessee's coloring books are colored IN the lines. Gators don't even know the right shade of orange. For example, some of their players think it's "prison orange."
GoVol writes:
WOW! Who would have thought they even used text books??
sidwalkvol writes:
now THIS is funny!
CoachNeyland writes:
I didn't know they had books in Alabama.
gohawks1 writes:
You know - it's those things in cans of Van Camp's Bennie Wennies.
vol_in_bigten_land writes:
Now that's funny! LMAO
UTandETSUfan writes:
haha thanks
VAvolfanRON writes:
KNS, thanks for the info...but a non issue....
Dust the textbooks for fingerprints with our smoke machines!!!...lol
utmdm writes:
Oh No, I'm scared of urbie now......Not!
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/spor...
VAvolfanRON writes:
Now we know this can't be true...The author has lost credibility for these lies.....I mean, since when did a UofA football player ever own a textbook???
vol_in_bigten_land writes:
Looks like florida players need to try and brush up on elementary vocabulary. No means No!
utmdm writes:
Ok...a fifth .... what are you drinking?
utmdm writes:
Don't ask. They never shut up about any subject, esp how pure they really are and how mistreated they have been.
Tiger_Jokes writes:
"The university admitted in its 67-page response to the NCAA’s notice of allegations ... "
67-pages? I guess it does take a lot more paper when it's written in crayon ...
BamaVol80 writes:
Phil was just cooperating with an ongoing NCAA investigation. I don't know why bammers have been so hung up on Phil these past few years. The man was just trying to do the right thing! Wouldn't St. Nick do likewise?
GO VOLS!!!
gohawks1 writes:
Must've been written on those lined writing pads used by elementary school kids that look like this:
______________________________________
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______________________________________
______________________________________
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smokyredbone writes:
Just like a damn Gator,just when I'm about to slam a bammer you open your dumbazz mouth and turn my attention to the slimey Gators!!! HOW ABOUT THAT LAME AZZ B'BALL TEAM CHUMPZILLA!!!!! BILLY THE SQUID IS REALLY COACHING THOSE CHUMPS TO MEDIOCRITY!!! FOOTBALL TEAM IS NEXT!!!!
P.S. CHEATIN BAMMERS!!!!
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