SMU Is Banned From Football For One Season

NCAA, in its harshest penalty ever against a football program, banned the sport at Southern Methodist for 1987 because of illegal payments to players, NCAA officials announced today.

The NCAA Infractions Committee also limited SMU to seven Southwest Conference games in 1988, all on the road, and prohibited them from playing any non-conference games. The school won’t be permitted to be on television or attend a bowl game in 1988.

NCAA enforcement director David Berst said the SWC and SMU must “both face the problem” of deciding which seven teams SMU will play in 1988. There are nine SWC schools.

Outside the Southwest Conference, SMU had been scheduled to play Oklahoma and New Mexico in 1987 and Oklahoma and Notre Dame in 1988.

Sanctions will last until 1990 and include reducing the number of assistant coaches from nine to six, cutting the number of scholarships from 25 to 15 for three years, and limiting off-campus recruiting to the head coach and four assistant coaches for three years.

SMU was found guilty of making monthly cash payments to student athletes from funds provided by a school booster.

Under the new “death penalty” rule adopted by the NCAA in June 1985, the Mustangs could have had their program shut down for two years.

The harshest penalty ever handed out by the NCAA was a two-year suspension of the basketball program at Southwestern Louisiana from 1973 to 1975 for violations that involved recruiting and paying players.

The NCAA’s report on SMU, released today, said, “The present infractions case does present some unique circumstances that arguably call for the committee to exercise its discretion to impose less than the mandatory penalties.”

Frank Remington, chairman of the infractions committee, explained the committee’s decision to limit SMU to seven games in 1988. “Anytime you’re talking about a number of games, the line is arbitrary,” he said. “It was the committee’s view that drawing it at non-conference games was not desirable because attention needs to be carried to the Southwest Conference as well. It would be wrong to send a message that says the only ones to be disadvantaged are non-conference opponents.”

SMU officials had said they would not appeal the decision no matter how harsh.

After speaking at today’s news conference, Berst, who was suffering from a cold, collapsed. He excused himself after speaking, walked to the door, sank to his knees and was carried out of the room. Later, he returned, and said, “Apparently, I’m fine.”

Berst said athletes at SMU would be allowed to transfer to other schools with immediate eligibility. The Mustangs had a 6-5 record in 1986, 5-3 in the conference for a fourth-place tie.

“SMU views the wrongdoings that were done in its name with regret and embarrassment,” SMU interim president William Stallcup said at the news conference.

“The temporary loss of football will be a bitter loss for some but as a university we have accepted that, knowing in our recent dealings with the football program and the NCAA, we have done what is right,” Stallcup said.

No specific cases were named in the NCAA report, but it said 13 football players received payments in the 1985-86 academic year totaling $47,000 and eight athletes got payments from September through December 1986 that totaled about $14,000.

SMU already was the most penalized school in NCAA history, currently in the second year of a three-year probation levied in August 1985. The school was banned from television and bowl games, was allowed no scholarships in 1986 and was to be allowed only 15 scholarships in 1987.

Today’s punishment was SMU’s fifth in the last 12 years. The football program was placed on probation twice in the last six years, 1981 and 1985. The Mustangs’ first brush with the NCAA was in 1958, when they were placed on probation for a year.

SMU now is tied with Wichita State for the number of NCAA probations--seven--but SMU has suffered the worst sanctions.

Under the “death penalty” rule, the NCAA may suspend the programs of repeat offenders for up to two years, prohibiting competition, recruiting, coaching or scholarships. It also could lift for four years the eligibility of school representatives to serve on NCAA committees and NCAA voting privileges.

SMU was one of six schools voting against the legislation.

After the latest recruiting scandal broke Nov. 13, 1986, SMU President L. Donald Shields took early retirement and Athletic Director Bob Hitch and Coach Bobby Collins resigned. Half of Collins’ assistants have left, and the school has not hired a new athletic director or coach.