STARKVILLE — The NCAA announced Friday that a former Mississippi State student and part-time athletic tutor violated the governing bodies’ rules and regulations in aiding 10 football players and one men’s basketball player in an online chemistry class.
MSU and the NCAA enforcement staff reached an agreement that the tutor committed multiple violations by completing assignments, exams, and, in some cases, almost an entire course.
The unnamed tutor was said to have violated NCAA ethical conduct rules when she did not interview with enforcement staff regarding her involvement in the case.
Of the athletes involved, eight football players and the men’s basketball player were found to have competed while ineligible.
“Our staff at Mississippi State was proactive in our preventative measures, quick to respond, and worked in full cooperation with the NCAA enforcement staff,” MSU Athletic Director John Cohen said in a news release. “With all of the compliance training that our staff and student-athletes go through on a year-round basis, it is unfortunate that a student serving as a part-time tutor was able to lead our student-athletes astray. Nevertheless, we take full responsibility for these actions.”
MSU President Mark E. Keenum also responded to the findings.
“Unfortunately, young people sometimes make poor decisions and those decisions have consequences,” Keenum said in a news release. “When the university learned of possible serious instances of academic misconduct involving student athletes and a student tutor employed part-time by MSU Athletic Academics, we were compelled to remove the student tutor from university employment, fully and independently investigate the matter, and then self-report the misconduct to the NCAA Committee on Infractions.”
No postseason ban was levied, but some of the penalties MSU will incur include:
■ A loss of two football scholarships per year during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years;
■ A loss of one men’s basketball scholarship during the 2020-21 academic year;
■ A fine of $5,000 plus 1 percent of the budget from both football and men’s basketball;
■ A three-year probation period;
■ Vacation of records in which players competed while ineligible;
■ Football will lose four official visits from its four-year average of 40 during the 2019-20 academic year;
■ Men’s basketball will lose two official visits from its four-year average of 10 during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 rolling two-year period;
■ A disassociation from the former tutor involved in the findings;
■ The former tutor has been given a 10-year-show-cause order — restricting her from working in any athletic-related duties at any NCAA member school unless the institution can demonstrate why the penalty shouldn’t apply.
While no formal announcement has been made, it’s been inferred that the men’s basketball player in question is junior guard Nick Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon was suspended for the final 10 games of the 2018-19 season for a “violation of team rules.”
On the football front, no suspensions have been announced, but it is expected that the players involved will each be docked eight games for the upcoming season.
MSU coach Joe Moorhead stated last week he would disclose any players unavailable for week one shortly before the season opener against Louisiana Aug. 31. It is possible any one-game suspensions involving transgressions outside the NCAA investigation could be announced as early as Monday during his weekly press conference.
It also remains unclear which games the football and basketball teams will vacate, but that decision is expected in the next six weeks.
Ben Portnoy reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @bportnoy15.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
