Oklahoma State University Athletics
NCAA Upholds Cowboy Basketball Penalties
November 03, 2021 | Cowboy Basketball
STILLWATER – In what is believed to be a decision unprecedented in the history of the NCAA, a member institution has received a postseason ban despite no violations in the areas of institutional control, failure to monitor, recruiting, head coach accountability, participation of an ineligible athlete or academic fraud.
The NCAA's Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld a postseason ban and other penalties against the Oklahoma State men's basketball program. OSU appeared before the NCAA Infraction Appeals Committee on Feb. 7.
"We are profoundly disappointed for our student-athletes, none of whom were here at the time of this case," said OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg. "This is an unprecedented decision by the NCAA. There are other strikingly similar cases that did not include postseason bans and had only minor penalties. We had a rogue employee carrying out actions that benefited him alone and he went to great lengths to assure his actions were undetectable. He was terminated when we learned of his actions.
"We cooperated with the NCAA, expedited the process and received no credit for it. What message is the NCAA sending here? This is further evidence that the NCAA system is broken."
OSU senior associate athletic director Kevin Fite is a former NCAA enforcement representative.
"After reading the decision, clearly, the Infractions Appeals Committee felt the Committee on Infractions did not provide enough analysis in their decision regarding the application of aggravating and mitigating factors in this case, a concern that has been expressed about the Committee on Infractions in other previous appeal decisions," Fite said. "In fact, the Infractions Appeals Committee seems to take a harder stance against the Committee on Infractions than OSU. However, the Infractions Appeals Committee then determined that it could not question this insufficiently explained analysis provided by the Committee on Infractions due to this same lack of information. As a result, our institution faces inappropriate penalties and the NCAA process moves on like it has in the past.
"Throughout this process we have asked the NCAA what we could have done differently," Fite said. "That question has yet to be answered."
Mike Boynton, who is entering his fifth season as Oklahoma State's head basketball coach, has never coached at OSU without the threat of NCAA sanctions.
"I recently noted that the time taken for a decision on our appeal was unfathomable," he said. "So too was the outcome, not to mention incredibly unjust and unfair. I invite members of the NCAA enforcement staff, it's Committee on Infractions, and appeals panel involved in our case to meet with my team, to look each of them in their eyes and explain why illicit conduct committed by a rogue assistant coach five years ago – conduct which led to no competitive advantage for our program, and for which the coach was fired immediately upon discovery by our administration – should serve as a basis for denying them the opportunity to experience postseason tournament play. This is the greatest disappointment in my career as a head coach."
Dr. Kayse Shrum, President of Oklahoma State University, had this to say on the matter.
"I am very disappointed by the NCAA Division 1 Infractions Appeals Committee's decision to uphold a one-year ban on the postseason competition for our men's basketball team this upcoming season. From the briefings I received on this matter when I became President of Oklahoma State, the ban was excessive and did not align with the facts. We were right to appeal and thought we would receive fair consideration. The NCAA's inconsistent standards and applications of penalties are a reflection of a broken system. Our one-year postseason ban is excessive, especially considering our coaches and players were never involved with the rogue assistant coach who acted alone in violating the rules, as the evidence showed. Our appeal was about seeking a fair outcome from the NCAA and supporting our innocent coaches and players, who sadly will now pay the price.
Coach Boynton, his staff, and our players have returned our program to the national stage the right way — through hard work, dedication, and following the rules. Coach Boynton is outstanding and leads our program with the utmost integrity. We are proud of him and his players. I am surprised the NCAA would turn their backs on principles of fairness, justice, and equality when considering what would have been an appropriate response to the facts."
The NCAA's Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld a postseason ban and other penalties against the Oklahoma State men's basketball program. OSU appeared before the NCAA Infraction Appeals Committee on Feb. 7.
"We are profoundly disappointed for our student-athletes, none of whom were here at the time of this case," said OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg. "This is an unprecedented decision by the NCAA. There are other strikingly similar cases that did not include postseason bans and had only minor penalties. We had a rogue employee carrying out actions that benefited him alone and he went to great lengths to assure his actions were undetectable. He was terminated when we learned of his actions.
"We cooperated with the NCAA, expedited the process and received no credit for it. What message is the NCAA sending here? This is further evidence that the NCAA system is broken."
OSU senior associate athletic director Kevin Fite is a former NCAA enforcement representative.
"After reading the decision, clearly, the Infractions Appeals Committee felt the Committee on Infractions did not provide enough analysis in their decision regarding the application of aggravating and mitigating factors in this case, a concern that has been expressed about the Committee on Infractions in other previous appeal decisions," Fite said. "In fact, the Infractions Appeals Committee seems to take a harder stance against the Committee on Infractions than OSU. However, the Infractions Appeals Committee then determined that it could not question this insufficiently explained analysis provided by the Committee on Infractions due to this same lack of information. As a result, our institution faces inappropriate penalties and the NCAA process moves on like it has in the past.
"Throughout this process we have asked the NCAA what we could have done differently," Fite said. "That question has yet to be answered."
Mike Boynton, who is entering his fifth season as Oklahoma State's head basketball coach, has never coached at OSU without the threat of NCAA sanctions.
"I recently noted that the time taken for a decision on our appeal was unfathomable," he said. "So too was the outcome, not to mention incredibly unjust and unfair. I invite members of the NCAA enforcement staff, it's Committee on Infractions, and appeals panel involved in our case to meet with my team, to look each of them in their eyes and explain why illicit conduct committed by a rogue assistant coach five years ago – conduct which led to no competitive advantage for our program, and for which the coach was fired immediately upon discovery by our administration – should serve as a basis for denying them the opportunity to experience postseason tournament play. This is the greatest disappointment in my career as a head coach."
Dr. Kayse Shrum, President of Oklahoma State University, had this to say on the matter.
"I am very disappointed by the NCAA Division 1 Infractions Appeals Committee's decision to uphold a one-year ban on the postseason competition for our men's basketball team this upcoming season. From the briefings I received on this matter when I became President of Oklahoma State, the ban was excessive and did not align with the facts. We were right to appeal and thought we would receive fair consideration. The NCAA's inconsistent standards and applications of penalties are a reflection of a broken system. Our one-year postseason ban is excessive, especially considering our coaches and players were never involved with the rogue assistant coach who acted alone in violating the rules, as the evidence showed. Our appeal was about seeking a fair outcome from the NCAA and supporting our innocent coaches and players, who sadly will now pay the price.
Coach Boynton, his staff, and our players have returned our program to the national stage the right way — through hard work, dedication, and following the rules. Coach Boynton is outstanding and leads our program with the utmost integrity. We are proud of him and his players. I am surprised the NCAA would turn their backs on principles of fairness, justice, and equality when considering what would have been an appropriate response to the facts."
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