Rutgers Football Formally Accused Of NCAA Violations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Rutgers athletic department will have to respond to seven NCAA allegations of wrongdoing, most dealing with its football program under former head coach Kyle Flood.
The NCAA has issued the school a Notice of Allegations following an 18-month investigation, Rutgers officials said Tuesday.
The NCAA is accusing Flood of providing cornerback Nadir Barnwell with an improper benefit by contacting an instructor about one of the player's grades during the 2014-15 academic year. Flood is also charged with failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the program.
In addition, Rutgers is charged with "failure to monitor." The NCAA also alleges that a former assistant coach had improper off-campus contact with a recruit, that student hostesses had impermissible off-campus contact and electronic correspondence with recruits and that there were inconsistencies in drug-testing procedures and policies.
The university has 90 days to respond to the allegations and then a hearing will be held before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.
"The University has cooperated fully with the investigation since the start, including both the discovery and self-reporting of several of these violations," Rutgers President Robert Barchi said in a letter to the university community Tuesday. "The University has also taken action against employees who violated the basic principles on which Rutgers stands and enacted measures to prevent future violations of NCAA bylaws."
The university fired Flood and his entire coaching staff, as well as athletic director Julie Hermann, after the 2015 football season. Two months earlier, Rutgers suspended Flood for three games and fined him $50,000 for contacting the faculty member.
"Despite my disappointment over these allegations, I believe we are a stronger University because of our immediate and transparent response to them, and you have my word that we will continue to strive for excellence with integrity," Barchi wrote.
The charges against Rutgers are considered Level II offenses, which the NCAA defines as "violations that provide or are intended to provide more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage." The NCAA has four levels of violations, with Level I being the most severe.