NCAA
Denies Appeal of Former Howard Women's Basketball Coach
July 16, 2002
INDIANAPOLIS---The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee
has upheld all findings and a show-cause penalty issued by the
Division I Committee on Infractions involving a former head women's
basketball coach at Howard University.
The former coach appealed all findings of the Committee on
Infractions as set forth in its November 27, 2001, report. Those
findings were violations of bylaws governing impermissible recruiting
inducements and unethical conduct. The former coach also appealed
a show-cause penalty imposed by the Committee on Infractions that
concludes on April 2003, contending that it was excessive and
inappropriate.
The Committee on Infractions concluded in its findings that
the coach had improperly paid for airline tickets for a prospective
student-athlete to visit the university when she knew that the
prospect did not have appropriate test scores and transcripts
on file required before a visit could occur. In addition, the
committee found that the former coach provided false information
about the purchase of the tickets and approached student-athletes
on her team to request that they provide false information.
The Infractions Appeals Committee considered the coach's specific
arguments pertaining to the findings and the penalty. The coach
contended, for example that a procedural error affected the reliability
of the information used by the Committee on Infractions, that
the Committee did not deliberate properly and that it made findings
based on procedurally improper credibility determinations. The
Infractions Appeals Committee said there was no evidence to support
the claim.
The coach also said that the findings of the Committee on Infractions
were contrary to the evidence provided. She challenged the evidence
by denying the allegations. Upon consideration of the evidence
presented at the hearing the coach had before the Committee on
Infractions, the Infractions Appeals group said that findings
were not contrary to the evidence.
The Infractions Appeals Committee also considered the appeal
of the 16-month show-cause penalty as excessive or inappropriate.
The committee said that because the coach was involved in several
recruiting violations and unethical conduct, the penalty was neither
inappropriate nor excessive.
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