CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The NCAA placed Illinois on probation for
one year Thursday because a booster improperly provided payments
and other benefits to a football prospect.
The offenses were a major violation of NCAA rules and occurred
between April 2003 and January 2004.
An athletic booster provided lodging, transportation and use of
a vehicle and paid the prospect for work he never performed, said
Gene Marsh, chairman of the NCAA's infractions committee.
Major violations generally draw a minimum penalty of two year's
probation but the committee chose a lesser penalty because the
university has a good record of rules compliance, reported the
infraction and cooperated throughout the investigation, he said.
The probation does not affect Illinois' future football
scholarships or bowl eligibility.
"What matters most in this case was the effective steps taken
by the university," Marsh said.
However the university still objects to the decision to call the
violation major and is considering an appeal to the NCAA
Infractions Appeals Committee, Chancellor Richard Herman said in a
statement. The conclusion of a major violation means the university
would face harsher penalties, including a ban on competition, if
another major violation occurs within the next five years,
according to NCAA bylaws.
"We discovered, we investigated and we acted strongly and
decisively with all parties involved," said athletic director Ron
Guenther. "This is a perfect example of how a student-athlete in
need can form a relationship with an individual outside our control
and without our knowledge, and then accept benefits that should not
have been accepted."
Marsh said nobody on the university's staff was involved and
commended the school for its cooperation, but he said the committee
felt it had to classify the infractions as major.
"These inducements and extra benefits began while the
student-athlete was a prospect and continued after he began
football practice and enrolled at the institution," the committee
said. "The committee found that the university gained a
substantial advantage as a result of the improper recruitment and
extra benefits provided to the student-athlete, which totaled
$2,348.98 during a nine-month period."
The booster was a former college football player, but not at
Illinois, a university spokesman said. Neither the booster nor the
athlete were identified.
The university has excluded the booster and his wife from any
involvement with the school until at least June 2007, the NCAA
said. The athlete, who no longer attends the university, repaid the
value of the benefits, the school said.
"This was one individual, one student-athlete and the school
demonstrated very well that they were doing as good a job as you
can in trying to educate boosters," Marsh said.