Notre Dame wins ordered vacated by NCAA over academic misconduct
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The NCAA has ordered Notre Dame to vacate wins from the 2012-13 and 2013-14 football seasons in an academic misconduct case.
In a news release on Tuesday, the NCAA said a Division I Committee on Infractions panel found that a former University of Notre Dame student athletic trainer violated the association’s ethical conduct rules during two academic years.
She, as well as two football student-athletes, “engaged in academic misconduct” when she completed coursework for the student-athletes, the NCAA said.
“These student-athletes, in addition to a third football student-athlete, also committed academic misconduct individually,” the association said.
Notre Dame determined that the three student-athletes violated the university’s policies on academic integrity, which resulted in them playing football while ineligible, the NCAA said.
The association said the student athletic trainer also provided six other football student-athletes “with impermissible academic assistance” in 18 classes.
The NCAA announced penalties prescribed by the panel. They include a vacation of all records that student-athletes participated in while ineligible during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 football seasons, as well as a $5,000 fine. Other penalties are:
- Public reprimand and censure for Notre Dame.
- A year of probation, starting from Tuesday through Nov. 21 next year.
- A two-year show-cause order for the former student trainer, starting on Tuesday and running through November 21, 2018.
- A disassociation of the former student trainer from Notre Dame’s athletics program for two years, starting on Tuesday.
Notre Dame announced in a statement that it will appeal the decision.
“The NCAA has never before vacated the records of an institution that had no involvement in the underlying academic misconduct, and the membership has since voted to change the rule that brought this case within NCAA jurisdiction,” the statement said.
University President Rev. John Jenkins said that in past academic misconduct cases, the Committee on Infractions imposed a vacation of records penalty “only when it has found serious institutional misconduct, such as actions with the direct involvement or knowledge of a coach or academic personnel, a failure to monitor or a lack of institutional control.”
“The NCAA enforcement staff and the hearing panel agreed with Notre Dame that no such institutional misconduct occurred in this case,” he said in Notre Dame’s online statement.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said he knew the vacated wins were a possibility since he and other Notre Dame officials met with the NCAA several months ago. He said he doesn’t believe he has any culpability in the case and has no reason to believe he won’t be back as Notre Dame’s coach next season - at least not because of the academic misconduct penalty.
“I think you guys are confusing this statement with the win-loss record,” said Kelly, who is in the midst of his worst season at Notre Dame with a 4-7 record ahead of Saturday’s game at No. 12 USC. “A win-loss record is always under scrutiny at Notre Dame, and it should be. That’s part of it.”
Tuesday’s NCAA report doesn’t name the players involved, but it stems from an investigation that began in August two years ago, when the university suspended defensive lineman Ishaq Williams, receiver DaVaris Daniels, linebacker Kendall Moore and cornerback KeiVarae Russell, who weren’t allowed to play that season. The school later benched safety Eilar Hardy, who was allowed to return in midseason. Russell returned and played for the Irish last season.
Notre Dame finished its 2012 football season 12-1, and its 2013 season 9-4.
