The National Collegiate Athletic Association released a decision on the major violations committed by the Louisiana State U. football program when recruiting a prospective football student athlete, according to a telephonic press conference Tuesday.
Dennis Thomas, the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and chair of the Committee on Infractions, conducted the call.
The violations include impermissible lodging and transportation and excessive phone calls.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions cited former assistant coach D.J. McCarthy for unethical conduct and for knowingly committing the violations.
The former assistant coach sought student workers with the athletic department to commit infractions. He then used a second phone the athletic department didn’t know about to try to cover up the violations, Thomas said.
McCarthy also participated in a three-way phone call with a prospective athlete, former LSU lineman Akiem Hicks and the athletic department student worker, during which the student worker lied about the Hick’s living arrangements over the summer.
McCarthy left the football program after the 2009 season and Hicks never played a game for the University, leaving the school after the 2009 season.
Three non-coaching staff members — director of football operations, director of player personnel and director of external affairs — participated in more than 3,600 phone calls to or from athlete coaches, administrators, prospects and family members of prospective student athletes.
The committee has decided penalties will include public reprimand and censure, one year probation — from July 19, 2011 to July 18, 2012, — and a one-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach
Additional penalties were self-imposed by the University.
These include a 10 percent reduction in official visits for football during the 2010-2011 academic year. The NCAA imposed an additional reduction for the 2011-2012 academic year.
The University also self-imposed a reduction of two initial scholarships — for a total of 23 scholarships — for the 2011-2012 class, a reduction of two overall scholarships — for a total of 83 scholarships — during the 2010-2011 academic year and restrictions on recruiting telephone calls.
Thomas said the committee commended the University for being proactive in investigating and reporting violations.
After Tuesday, Vanderbilt remains the only SEC school since 1987 not to receive a major violation from the NCAA.