Lack of oversight seen at Florida State

Florida State’s president attributed an academic cheating scandal to a lack of oversight by athletic department officials, an inattentive faculty member and a rogue tutor.

T.K. Wetherell on Friday described the course in question, a three-hour music history class, as “contaminated” and said changes have been made.

Although Wetherell has said in the past that the recent resignation of athletic director David Hart Jr. was not related to the incident, his statement suggested otherwise.

“The violations focused on a poorly structured online course, lack of attention to detail by a faculty member, and insufficient oversight by the athletic department of one rogue tutor -- all coming together to result in a ‘contaminated’ class,” Wetherell said in the statement.

Hart did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment on Wetherell’s criticism of his former department.

The school has suspended roughly two dozen football players, including some starters, for its Dec. 31 game against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.

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Three starters are among six Tennessee Volunteers who have been ruled academically ineligible for the Outback Bowl.

Wide receiver Lucas Taylor, linebacker Rico McCoy and defensive tackle Demonte Bolden are among the six scholarship players whose fall semester grades didn’t meet NCAA and Southeastern Conference requirements to play.

No. 16 Tennessee (9-4) faces No. 18 Wisconsin (9-3) on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla.

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Fred Jackson was brought back as Michigan’s running backs coach, a day after new Coach Rich Rodriguez fired all the assistants on Lloyd Carr’s staff.