OVC inquiry exonerates Tennessee
State
August 17, 2006
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. Ohio Valley Conference
Commissioner Dr. Jon A. Steinbrecher announced
today that the Conference has concluded its
inquiry concerning the contractual arrangements
between OVC member institution Tennessee State
University and Division I Scheduling, a California-based
company.
 Division I Scheduling acted as a third party
in arranging basketball games between several
collegiate institutions, including Tennessee
State, which contracted with the company to
schedule contests during the 2004-05 and 2005-06
basketball seasons.
“Based upon inquiries made by the
OVC,” said Steinbrecher, “and in
consultation with the NCAA enforcement staff,
the Conference does not believe the available
information supports a finding of a violation
of NCAA legislation.”
Steinbrecher noted that the appearance of
news articles in March 2006 raised significant
concerns for both Conference and institutional
officials and warranted an extensive review. As
a result, the OVC conducted an investigation
into the matter, utilizing the services of
The Compliance Group to assist. In addition,
the Conference was in contact with the NCAA
enforcement staff.
“Based upon our investigation and
conversations with the NCAA enforcement staff,
we believe no actions should be taken against
TSU by the Conference in this matter,” said
Steinbrecher.
Tennessee State officials were informed
of the Conference’s findings late last
week.
“TSU has received extensive, negative
publicity over the past few months,” said
TSU Director of Athletics Teresa Phillips. “We
believe the actions of the coaching staff were
within NCAA legislation and hope that this
release from the OVC office will eliminate
any misperceptions.”
Phillips added that she appreciated the
Conference’s review and believed it will
assist the institution’s overall compliance
efforts.
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