NCAA’s sanctions make SMU model of holding coaches accountable for entire program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Texas _ The rapid rise of SMU basketball under Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown featured the schools’ first NCAA Tournament appearance in 22 years. But progress was put on hold Tuesday by NCAA sanctions that rekindled memories of the school’s darkest days.tmpplchld The NCAA banned SMU from the 2016 postseason play, suspended Brown for nine games and took away nine scholarships over the next three seasons. The Mustangs also could have some if not all of their 2013-14 season vacated. They finished 27-10, losing in the National Invitation Tournament championship game.tmpplchld The only school to receive the “death penalty” will now serve as model for the NCAA’s latest emphasis on holding coaches accountable for every aspect of their program. This marks SMU’s 10th major infractions case.tmpplchld Brown, 75, also received a two-year show-cause penalty for failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance.tmpplchld The severe sanctions centered primarily on a case of academic fraud that the NCAA said Brown withheld from and then lied to the NCAA about.tmpplchld The golf team was also banned from postseason play after the NCAA determined that three former employees violated ethical conduct rules. Both teams were placed on probation until Sept. 28, 2018.tmpplchld According to the Division I Committee on Infractions panel, “the former head men’s golf coach, the former compliance director and a former men’s basketball administrative assistant violated NCAA’s unethical conduct rules” and that Brown “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance when he did not report violations and was not initially truthful during an interview with NCAA enforcement staff.”tmpplchld SMU must decide within 15 days if it will appeal the ruling, which seems imminent given the reaction of school officials. President R. Gerald Turner and athletic director Rick Hart rushed to Brown’s defense, taking issue with the NCAA on its key finding.tmpplchld In an email to members of the SMU community, Turner said, “SMU disagrees with some of the Committee’s conclusions and penalties. As we consider an appeal, we are particularly concerned about sanctions that are punitive against student-athletes who were not involved in the infractions.”tmpplchld The NCAA determined that former assistant basketball coach Ulric Maligi and former basketball administrator Katie Cowan helped ex-McDonald’s All-American Keith Frazier with coursework he needed to become eligible at SMU.tmpplchld The report said Maligi encouraged Frazier to enroll in an online course needed to gain academic entry. Then Cowan obtained Frazier’s username and password and completed the course so he could play as a freshman in 2013-14.tmpplchld The severity of SMU’s punishment was compounded by Brown and his staff allegedly not being forthright when approached by investigators. The NCAA accused Cowan of providing false information during her interviews and then refusing to participate further as requested by the enforcement staff.tmpplchld Brown, who initially denied having any information for NCAA investigators, learned of the academic misconduct in 2014, according to the NCAA, but waited more than a month to report it to SMU’s compliance staff.tmpplchld The scathing report said that Brown, who won the national title at Kansas and took UCLA to the championship game, made “choices against his better judgment when it came to compliance issues” at SMU.tmpplchld These choices included not reporting possible violations in his program, initially lying to the enforcement staff during the investigation and providing no specific guidance to his staff on rules compliance.”tmpplchld Asked Tuesday why he lied to the enforcement staff, Brown said, “I didn’t lie to the investigators. During the course of the investigation I was being interviewed by the NCAA and they blindsided me with a question and I answered it. And after thinking about it a while I asked to be excused. I left the room for 60 seconds and came back and fully cooperated with the NCAA. I don’t think that’s a lie.”tmpplchld Brown, the only coach to win NBA and NCAA titles, said he has no intention of resigning. He said his team, winners of the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles, will use the penalties as motivation.tmpplchld “I am saddened and disappointed that the Committee on Infractions believes that I did not fully fulfill my duties and I will consider my options to challenge that assertion in the coming days,” said Brown, 69-34 in three years at SMU. “Still, there was a violation in our program and I take responsibility for that and offer my sincere apologies to the university community.”tmpplchld Brown led Kansas to the 1988 national championship, but the Jayhawks were banned from postseason play the next season and placed on probation for recruiting violations during Brown’s tenure.tmpplchld UCLA was 42-17 in Brown’s two seasons. The Bruins’ second-place finish in the 1980 NCAA Tournament was later vacated by the NCAA after two players were determined to be ineligible.tmpplchld Michael Adams, the Pepperdine chancellor who served as NCAA’s chief hearing officer, said SMU’s past transgressions were considered in the enforcement staff’s deliberations. But he said that Brown’s past was not a factor.tmpplchld “The committee’s responsibility is to look at this institution and to look at what may or may not have been done improperly in this case,” Adams said. “I don’t remember any online or offline discussion about any previous activities of the basketball coach, and it probably would be improper for us to have done so.”tmpplchld The infractions were revealed more than eight months after the school acknowledged an NCAA investigation and six months after the Mustangs went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1993.tmpplchld Athletic director Rick Hart called it “unfair” that SMU players won’t have the chance to compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament next season when they had nothing to do with the allegations, and Brown’s statement also hinted at the possibility of an appeal.tmpplchld “I am saddened and disappointed that the Committee on Infractions believes that I did not fully fulfill my duties and I will consider my options to challenge that assertion in the coming days,” Brown said. “I truly believe that our program has dedicated itself unwaveringly to the ideals of academic integrity and NCAA compliance. Still, there was a violation in our program and I take responsibility for that and offer my sincere apologies to the University community.”tmpplchld When SMU hired Brown in April 2012, school officials wanted a marquee coach to rebuild the program as it upgraded conferences, eventually moving to the American Athletic Conference.tmpplchld Brown quickly made SMU relevant, winning recruiting battles with national programs such as Kansas and Kentucky, and posting consecutive 27-win seasons.tmpplchld With many of its best players returning, SMU figured to be headed to the NCAA Tournament again. Brown said it was difficult walking into the locker room on Tuesday to spread the bad news.tmpplchld Noting that NCAA rules dictate that the head coach is responsible for the entire program, Brown said he accepted that responsibility, but did “not accept the appropriateness of the punishment.”tmpplchld In its 60-page report, the NCAA repeatedly suggested that Brown deliberately ignored warning signs and did nothing when he had the chance.tmpplchld “These choices included not reporting possible violations in his program, initially lying to the enforcement staff during the investigation and providing no specific guidance to his staff on rules compliance,” the NCAA said, adding that Brown waited more than a month to report it after learning of misconduct in 2014.tmpplchld Turner and Hart said they were disturbed by the NCAA delivering sanctions against student-athletes who had “no involvement whatsoever with any of the issues that resulted in violations.”tmpplchld SMU golfer Bryson DeChambeau, only the fifth player ever to win the U.S. Amateur and NCAA individual titles in the same year, will be unable to defend his NCAA individual championship as a senior.tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 The Dallas Morning Newstmpplchld Visit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld