Committee On Infractions Wants UM Hearing In June
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The NCAA Committee on Infractions has agreed to hear motions from three former University of Miami assistant coaches to have their portion of the Nevin Shapiro charges against them thrown out.
According to the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds, the NCAA COI also insisted Friday on a June hearing for the University of Miami over the charges contained in a notice of allegations received by the school on Monday. NCAA investigators had been pushing for the COI hearing to be held in July.
The Committee on Infractions will hear at least 14 allegations against the Hurricanes for alleged violations in the basketball and football departments. All parties, including coaches, athletic department representatives, lawyers, and school administration can attend the hearing in Indianapolis.
The University received its NOA Monday and has until May 20 to formulate its written response to the charges leveled by the NCAA investigation. The investigation lasted more than two years and was also tainted by the improper actions of some members of the NCAA.
The most serious charge leveled by the NCAA against the school was "lack of institutional control," which is the gateway to some of the worst penalties the NCAA can inflict on a school.
Lack of institutional control is defined by the NCAA as "found when the Committee on Infractions determines that major violations occurred and the institution failed to display adequate compliance measures, sufficient monitoring to ensure the compliance measures are followed and swift action upon learning of a violation."
UM President Donna Shalala is fighting back against the NCAA both for the school and possibly for her job. She's questioned the credibility of the NCAA, its investigation, and that of convicted Ponzi schemer Nevin Shapiro, who the NCAA is believed to have centered the entire investigation around.
On the flip side, if there was a lack of institutional control, the question is how far up the ladder did it reach? It will come down to a question of what did Shalala know, and when, harkening back to Senator Howard Baker.
Once the COI hearing is completed, the Committee will then take the next 6-8 weeks to complete its report on the school's case before issuing sanctions against the school. After that, UM can appeal the sanctions to a Committee on Infractions appeals committee, which is separate from the COI that will hear the case in June.
Miami will most likely appear before the COI sometime between May and July. Given that timetable, sanctions against the school will most likely be delivered to the school sometime between the beginning and middle of football season this fall.
The list of coaches involved with the Shapiro case includes: former basketball head coach Frank Haith, now the coach at Missouri, and his former assistants Jorge Fernandez, Jake Morton (now at Western Kentucky) and Michael Schwartz (Fresno State); former football assistants Clint Hurtt (Louisville), Joe Pannunzio (Alabama), Jeff Stoutland (formerly Alabama but now with the Philadelphia Eagles), Aubrey Hill (most recently at Florida).
Related Links:
- Mountain West Conference Circulating Memo Questioning Future Of NCAA President
- NCAA Documents Against Haith Released By Missouri
- Shapiro Attorney Denies Wrongdoing Alleged By NCAA
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