THE SIDELINES : Robert Morris Gets Probation

The NCAA today placed the Robert Morris men’s basketball program on two years’ probation and ordered it to return as much as $186,000 in tournament fees for violating rules in arranging financial aid for a player.

Robert Morris also cannot play in postseason competition or appear on live television next year and must eliminate two basketball scholarships.

The penalties resulted from an in-house investigation begun by the school last year.

The violations involve a player recruited in 1986 who was not eligible to play his freshman year because his SAT score was 10 points below the 700 minimum.

Under NCAA rules, the player could have accepted financial aid and lost a year of eligibility or he could have paid for his freshman year and been eligible for four years after his freshman year.

The player took out a $6,200 bank loan so he could retain his eligibility. A member of the board of trustees, acting at the behest of a college official, co-signed the loan in violation of NCAA rules, the NCAA said.