After an investigation, the Michigan Wolverines were found to have committed recruiting violations within the football program as the team was found to have violated the in-person recruiting rules during a COVID-19 dead period. And now, the Wolverines are being punished for it.
On Tuesday, the NCAA announced a punishment of three years of probation for the school, a fine, and recruiting restrictions in alignment with the Level 1-Mitigated classification for the school.
“Michigan and five individuals who currently or previously worked for its football program have reached an agreement with NCAA enforcement staff on recruiting violations and coaching activities by noncoaching staff members that occurred within the football program, and the appropriate penalties for those violations. A Committee on Infractions panel has approved the agreement. One former coach did not participate in the agreement, and that portion of the case will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions, after which the committee will release its full decision,” the NCAA said in a release.
“The agreed-upon violations involve impermissible in-person recruiting contacts during a COVID-19 dead period, impermissible tryouts, and the program exceeding the number of allowed countable coaches when noncoaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities (including providing technical and tactical skills instruction to student-athletes). The negotiated resolution also involved the school’s agreement that the underlying violations demonstrated a head coach responsibility violation and the former football head coach failed to meet his responsibility to cooperate with the investigation. The school also agreed that it failed to deter and detect the impermissible recruiting contacts and did not ensure that the football program adhered to rules for noncoaching staff members.”
The committee declined to discuss further details on the case “to protect the integrity of the ongoing process.”
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