Sports

Morehouse placed on NCAA probation for three years and responds

ATLANTA

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Committee on Infractions released a public report that found Morehouse College in violation of eligibility rules. The investigation came after Morehouse discovered a problem in the way in which a specific set of courses was being reported on student transcripts. Morehouse self-reported the violations to the NCAA enforcement staff, once the College realized there was a problem. Specifically, there were 29 students between 2010-2014 academic years .who participated in athletic competition who were academically ineligible because of the infractions. The College became aware of these infractions in the fall of 2013.

As a result of both the College’s investigation and that of the NCAA enforcement staff, Morehouse has made several adjustments to mitigate the problem, including:

• Hiring a new athletics compliance officer

• Instituting a compliance task force made up of a cross section of faculty and staff

• Employing mandatory technology and training for all athletics staff, faculty and student athletes

“Morehouse College’s requirements for good academic standing are higher than the minimum requirements for the NCAA,” said Morehouse President John Silvanus Wilson Jr. “It is those higher standards to which we hold our student athletes.” Of the students affected during the four-year period, most of them had graduated or left Morehouse College. However, those that remain and who still have semesters of eligibility are now reinstated and may resume participating in athletic contests.

“We take seriously the grooming of our student athletes,” said Tim Sams, vice president for Student Development for Morehouse. “Athletic competition and scholarship are key components of character development and that of the student in full. To that end, we are committed to ensuring that our student athletes have accurate data upon which they can rely in assessing their progress toward pursuing a degree at Morehouse, as well as their eligibility to participate in collegiate athletics,” he said. The College worked diligently and collaboratively with the NCAA during the investigation and is happy to report that according to the NCAA, there are no unresolved allegations resulting from this case. Additionally, the NCAA enforcement staff did not discover information that warranted an institutional control allegation.