MU sanctioned by NCAA over men's basketball violations

MU will be placed on probation for three years for violations committed by the

men's basketball program, the NCAA said Wednesday.

The sanctions will include limits on scholarships, recruiting and official visits

by coaches. Post-season play and television appearances will not be affected.

Recruiting violations, impermissible extra benefits and failure by MU's officials

to appropriately monitor the program led to the sanctions.

MU claimed the majority of the violations were inadvertent or isolated, but the

NCAA rejected that claim. The number of violations led the NCAA to conclude they

were "significant and represented an attempt to gain unfair recruiting advantages."

While the ability to play in the postseason will come as a relief for many MU

fans, the NCAA says it considers the recruiting ban essentially equal.

"We looked at both of them, a one-year postseason ban and a one-year recruiting

ban and felt that the recruiting ban would probably be a more appropriate sanction

for these violations in this particular case," said Thomas Yeager, NCAA

Division I chairman on infractions.

According to the NCAA, the violations began in the 1999-2000 academic year and

continued through the 2003-2004 year. Specific violations the NCAA found include:

• Providing incomplete or incorrect information about expense vouchers
• Providing impermissible transportation for two prospects and their

  coaches

• Impermissible contact with recruits and family members
• Giving recruits gifts and meals
• Posting bail for and facilitating visits to former player Ricky Clemons

  while he was in jail

Former associate head coach Tony Harvey was cleared of the charge of giving Clemons

$250. Neither Clemons nor Harvey was named in the NCAA report.

The sanctions will include:

• Public reprimand and censor of MU.
• Probation beginning today and ending Nov. 2, 2007.
• Prohibit coaches from off-campus recruiting visits until Nov. 2,

  2005.

• Reduce the number of scholarships from 13 to 12 for 2005-2006 and

  11 for 2006-2007.

• Reduce the number of official expense-paid visits in men's basketball

  from 12 to nine each year for the next two years.

• Reprimand head coach Quin Snyder and other coaches involved with

  the violations.

MU will also be expected to improve the education and cooperation of the coaches

and staff over the next three years of probation.