St. Augustine's Put on Probation

The NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions has penalized St. Augustine College for major violations in its athletics program. The infractions, which included a lack of institutional control, began in the 2003-04 academic year and continued through 2007-08. St. Augustine was found to have allowed 29 student-athletes to practice or compete while ineligible to do so. Of the 29 ineligible student-athletes, 15 participated in football.

Penalties for the violations include three years of probation; a vacation (forfeiture) of wins; a $2,500 financial penalty; and a reduction in scholarships for seven sports for the next two years.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process rather than a formal hearing before the Committee on Infractions. Summary disposition is used when there is an agreement among the university, the NCAA enforcement staff and involved individuals regarding the facts of the case. The committee adopted the findings agreed upon by the institution and the enforcement staff as well as penalties recommended by the institution. The institution agreed to the imposition of further penalties by the committee.

Some of the ineligible student-athletes in this case received impermissible benefits in the form of athletic scholarships and travel expenses. The student-athletes were ineligible for a variety of reasons, including participation in their 11th semester of full-time enrollment (a maximum of 10 semesters is allowed in Division II); participation in a fifth season; deficient grade-point averages; mistakes by the college staff in certification of transfers; and a failure to obtain financial initial eligibility certification for academics and amateurism. One track student-athlete participated while ineligible in the NCAA Division II 2007 Indoor Track Championship while another track student-athlete participated while ineligible in the NCAA Division II 2007 Indoor and Outdoor Track Championship.

The eligibility problems and subsequent lack of institutional control resulted from a deficient certification system, particularly for football, according to the committee. The system was in place when football, which had been discontinued in 1967, was reinstated and resumed competing in 2002. Due to errors in completing various forms used to track eligibility, and because the individuals charged with tracking eligibility were not adequately educated regarding NCAA eligibility rules, mistakes were made and the ineligible student-athletes were allowed to compete. The lack of institutional control violation was also based on the college's failure to report a violation involving the ineligible participation of a football student-athlete in three dates of competition.

The penalties adopted and imposed by the committee include three years of probation beginning October 3, 2008 and concluding on October 2, 2011, vacation of all wins in which ineligible student-athletes participated, reduction in scholarships in football, men's basketball, softball, volleyball, men's tennis, men's track and women's track for 2009-10 and 2010-11. and a financial penalty of $2,500 to the NCAA.