TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - FAMU's Athletic Director Milton Overton announced today self-imposed penalties and other sanctions following the identification of violations of secondary NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules from previous academic years.
According to FAMU, this comes after an internal investigation conducted by the University and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and a joint investigation by FAMU and the NCAA. School officials say FAMU self-reported findings of violations to the NCAA Infraction Committee, saying they did not properly administer general student-athlete eligibility and playing season requirements during the 2010-2011 and 2013-2014 academic years. In addition, they found they did not properly administer financial aid requirements during the summer of 2013.
FAMU is now self-imposing a three-year probation and annual compliance reporting to the NCAA on its athletics programs. The NCAA is expected to tack on an extra year of probation in a final disposition. The University will also have to pay a one-time fine of more than $150,000, which will be retained by FAMU and reinvested into the cost of external compliance reviews.
FAMU did not suffer any loss of scholarships, coaches being suspended, or any further ban on post-season play as a result of the Level II violations.
The University has also developed a Corrective Action Plan that they say will address the issues.
