<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Roy Williams violated NCAA rules when he was the basketball coach at Kansas, approving payments to players who had used up their eligibility, the school said Friday. After conducting an internal review, the school said Williams -- preparing for his third season at national champion North Carolina -- approved payments to graduating players and other Jayhawk players who had exhausted their eligibility. The violations, which Kansas reported to the NCAA last month, were among several involving the men's and women's basketball programs, and the football program, ending in 2003. Most of the violations involved arranging for test preparation and transportation for prospective athletes. The school began its investigation on the same day athletic director Lew Perkins arrived on the job in June 2003. The university, which put its athletic department on two years' probation, said the violations wouldn't carry any television or postseason sanctions, but would result in a reduction of scholarships in the football and women's basketball programs. In a letter dated July 1, the NCAA told the university its staff was reviewing the self-report and conducting follow-up interviews. NCAA vice president David Price told the school the investigation was expected to be completed by the fall. The men's basketball violation will be addressed through extra education about the rules regarding gifts. No other sanctions against the program are planned. Steve Kirschner, a spokesman for North Carolina, said Williams was traveling Friday and not immediately available for comment. The school planned to release a statement later Friday. The school said three representatives of the university's "athletics interests" -- Dana Anderson, Joan Edwards and Bernard Morgan -- gave cash and clothing to graduating student athletes and other players who had exhausted their eligibility.</div> http://www.wcnc.com/news/topstories/storie...s.abddea56.html
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting sjokanovic:</div><div class="quote_post">Who Cares About College</div> Great post. If you hate college, stay out of the forum. Simple as that. Now let's get back on topic.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Roy Williams Comments on Kansas Self-Report Roy Williams said he made a "mistake" when he approved gifts to graduating players and others who had used up their eligibility while coach at Kansas, but denied there was any intentional wrongdoing. "We wanted a program that would positively represent the university and the integrity of our basketball program was always very important to me," Williams said in a statement Saturday. "I am deeply saddened to say there was evidently a mistake." Williams - now the coach at North Carolina - issued the statement to respond to a report by Kansas outlining NCAA rules violations in its athletic department. Williams was out of town and was unavailable for further comment, said Steve Kirschner, a spokesman for North Carolina. After conducting an internal review, the school said Williams - who won the national championship last April in his second season in Chapel Hill, N.C. - approved payments made by three representatives of the university's "athletics interests." The school said Dana Anderson, Joan Edwards and Bernard Morgan gave cash and clothing to graduating players and others who had exhausted their eligibility. Payments went back as far as 1998, though no player was said to have received more than $400. Williams said there was a "communication problem" with the school's compliance department, leading him to believe a gift was permitted. The violation falls under the NCAA's "extra benefit" rule and specifies that once athletes enroll, they are barred for life from receiving gifts from fans. "I did not know the rule that once you're a student-athlete, you are a student-athlete until death," Williams said. "Kansas never gained a recruiting or competitive advantage - the students had completed their eligibility and it was seen as a graduation gift. I have never promised anything to a prospective student-athlete, including playing time." The violations, which Kansas reported to the NCAA last month, were among several involving three programs, ending in 2003. The school responded to violations in the football and women's basketball programs by reducing scholarships, but the men's basketball violation will be addressed through extra education about the rules regarding gifts. No other sanctions against the program are planned.</div> Full Article
