| |
 Widespread, unauthorized spending Booster violations give Wisconsin 2-year NCAA probation
Posted: Wednesday March 24, 1999 12:32 PM
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The NCAA has placed Wisconsin on two years probation for widespread, unauthorized spending of booster club money, the league said Wednesday. The NCAA's Committee on Infractions also required the university to continue developing a comprehensive athletics compliance education program during the probationary period. In addition, the university must conduct an internal audit, focusing on fund-raising activities, file annual compliance reports and require the athletics director to attend an NCAA compliance seminar. Wisconsin officials self-reported the infractions to the league last April. James Hoyt, chairman of the athletic board said Tuesday he hoped the penalties would be "a non-story." Athletic director Pat Richter, recovering after hip replacement surgery a week ago, said Tuesday he would not comment until after the NCAA announcement. An internal audit turned up hundreds of cases of unauthorized spending of booster club money on allowable items -- infractions which are likely to be seen as minor. Payments were made for such things as moving expenses, travel and business expenses and tickets to events. But university officials have said the number of cases involved and the access to booster club funds by athletic department personnel, could send up red flags for the NCAA. The audit showed that 77 staff members, including Richter, received reimbursements from booster accounts. Such payments must receive prior approval from the chancellor's office, something that was either not done or not done in a timely fashion. Richter received a written reprimand from Chancellor David Ward as a result of the violations. Auditors said other payments were improperly funneled from the Mendota Gridiron Club to assistant football coaches. Four months after bonuses for those coaches were denied by Wisconsin officials in December 1996, the coaches were paid "appearance fees" by the booster group for identical amounts. NCAA rules forbid any outside source from paying or supplementing any athletic department staff member's salary. UW reported the violations to the NCAA, characterizing them as minor and outlining procedures that were established to prevent similar violations in the future.
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
