Freshman safety Travis Bell (26) and defensive back Nick Cadwell (39) are shown wearing light shoulder pads during Saturday's opening West Virginia University football practice at Mountaineer Field

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia University’s football program opened practice Saturday and has admitted it was in violation of another NCAA rule at the workout.

Just 48 hours after WVU received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in which the Mountaineers were accused of five major violations and one secondary violation, the Charleston Daily Mail has learned WVU will self-report a secondary violation after some players wore equipment prohibited by the NCAA during the first two days of practice.

The Daily Mail also learned Tuesday at least one school was looking into the possibility of reporting WVU. The Mountaineer program has decided to self-report itself.

NCAA rule 17.9.2.3 concerns the “five-day acclimatization period,” which begins with the first practice, and how it is to proceed.

Specifically, subsection (d) states:

“During the first two days of the acclimatization period, helmets shall be the only piece of protective equipment student-athletes may wear. During the third and fourth days of the acclimatization period, helmets and shoulder pads shall be the only pieces of protective equipment student-athletes may wear. During the final day of the five-day period and on any days thereafter, student-athletes may practice in full pads.”

Multiple photos and videos taken during practice Saturday and Sunday and published in print or on the Internet show various WVU players in lightweight shoulder pads known as “vests” or “spider pads.”

The Mountaineers were in helmets and full shoulder pads Monday and again on Tuesday.

Coach Bill Stewart was leading practice Tuesday afternoon and could not comment. He has a regularly scheduled press conference at 5:45 p.m.

WVU’s assistant athletic director for communications, Michael Fragale, told the Daily Mail the school is aware of the issue and has started an investigation.

via Charleston Daily Mail

MORGANTOWN – If West Virginia’s troubles with the NCAA are going to affect the way the Mountaineers prepare for the 2010 season, there was no indication of it Saturday when practice opened.

And why should it be any other way?

“I addressed it with the football team and the staff very briefly [Friday] night,” coach Bill Stewart said after the first of 29 preseason practices leading up to the season opener Sept. 4 against Coastal Carolina. “That is not on our mind.”

Stewart, who along with former coach Rich Rodriguez is accused by the NCAA of allowing non-coaching personnel to perform coaching duties, did not address specifics of the charges because he’s not permitted to by the NCAA.

But he stressed that beyond his comments to the team the night before the first practice the issue would be dropped as far as the football team is concerned.

“It’s not what we’re thinking right now,” Stewart said. “This football team … is going to concentrate on the 2010 season with full effort in that regard. We will not talk about it anymore because it’s been addressed by [athletic director Oliver] Luck and it’s over.”

And so it was. While the players are aware of the charges against the program, to a man they said it wasn’t a consideration.

“They talked to us about it and that was it,” said defensive lineman Scooter Berry. “There’s nothing we can do about it, so we won’t even think about it.”

Instead, Stewart and the Mountaineers concentrated on the first day of practice, held under bright sunshine and with nearly everyone expected to be there on hand.

That included a couple of freshmen whose status had been in doubt leading up to the weekend. Offensive lineman Marquis Wallace and running back Trey Johnson both practiced Saturday and appear fully eligible for the season.

Still, there are three members of the class who aren’t here because of academic issues. Offensive tackle Quinton Spain is still awaiting the results of a test score, and the eligibility of receiver Dante Chambers is still being investigated. Neither has been ruled out.

The only freshman who has been scratched is defensive back Avery Williams, who Stewart said will likely enroll in January.

As for the position with the highest profile during the preseason camp, freshmen Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson split the second-team reps at quarterback almost down the middle. They are expected to battle for the backup job behind sophomore Geno Smith.

“We have to go slow with those two, spoon feed them,” said offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen. “And then we’ll see where they are in seven to 10 days.”

As expected, Coley White was working with the receivers and not the quarterbacks. Despite White’s encouraging performance in the spring, that was the plan all along because there aren’t enough reps to go around for Smith and the true freshmen, much less a fourth quarterback. Until one or both of the freshmen prove they can or cannot handle the job right away, White will take reps at receiver.

Stewart was encouraged by White’s play out there.

“I thought he did a great job,” Stewart said of White. “He made some nice catches.”

As for Smith, who sat out all contact drills in the spring because of a broken foot, Stewart said he was satisfied with what he saw from his starting quarterback on the first day.

via NCAA allegations not on WVU players’ minds  – Sports – The Charleston Gazette – West Virginia News and Sports -.

NCAA had reason to pay WVU a visit  – WVU Sports – Charleston Daily Mail – West Virginia News and Sports -.

Detroit Free Press

Ann Arbor, Michigan

The University of Michigan has acknowledged that it committed major violations in its football program and self-imposed the following sanctions:

Michigan also said it had taken disciplinary action against the “seven individuals who shared in responsibility.”

U-M did not dispute the allegations of five major violations outlined in the NCAA’s notice of allegations in February.

Among other violations, Michigan acknowledged that quality control staffers conducted voluntary summer workouts and were present “on occasion” for voluntary seven-on-seven scrimmages during the summer.

U-M said the violations “occurred for an extended period due to inattention by the football staff, the (compliance services office’s) failure to contact (Rich) Rodriguez directly about these issues, ineffective communication between the CSO and the strength and conditioning staff, and the failure of athletic administrators to perform tasks the CSO requested. The violations, however, did not result from a lack of rules education. The CSO educated the football staff, including both the coaching staff and the quality control staff, on virtually every issue now before this committee.”

U-M said the quality-control staffers were hired “to perform non-coaching duties such as run errands for the coaches, check on student-athlete class attendance and academic issues, and chart plays for the assistant coaches at practices and games. … The quality control staff members were not hired to serve as extra coaches in order to gain competitive advantage.”

Michigan’s response goes to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions. The committee must decide whether to accept U-M’s self-imposed penalties or whether to level additional penalties.

If the committee finds U-M guilty of even one major violation, it would receive two years probation.

U-M must attend a hearing before the committee during its meeting Aug. 13-14 in Seattle. Numerous U-M officials – including the president, athletic director and football coach – have been summoned to the hearing.

U-M posted its response online at 7 a.m. It included this statement from president Mary Sue Coleman: “As we have said all along, we take full responsibility for knowing and following NCAA rules, and we will address concerns, quickly and head on. We believe the sanctions we have imposed fit the nature of the violations.”

The committee must decide whether to accept U-M’s self-imposed penalties or whether to level additional penalties

U-M must attend a hearing before the committee during its meeting Aug. 13-14 in Seattle. Numerous U-M officials — including the president, athletic director and football coach — have been summoned to the hearing.

During the long investigation, experts have told the Free Press that the most likely penalties from the NCAA are probation, a loss of scholarships and a reduction of future practice time. A temporary reduction in the number of coaches also is possible.

Probation is both an admonishment from the NCAA and a warning that further violations during the probationary period could result in more severe penalties.

U-M’s punishment from the infractions committee could be stepped up because the NCAA considers the school a repeat violator. U-M has that status because of the Ed Martin basketball scandal. The NCAA alleged that football violations started within a five-year window of the basketball case. Rodriguez was hired in December 2007. February’s notice of allegations from the NCAA charged that U-M’s violations started in January 2008.

Nine months ago …

Michigan’s troubles with the NCAA started late last August, when the Free Press reported that numerous former players, current players and parents of players told the newspaper that the Michigan football team routinely violated NCAA rules that govern practice and workout sessions during the season and off-season. The players requested anonymity, saying they feared retaliation.

In a released statement, Rodriguez said, “We follow the rules.” Compliance director Judy Van Horn said that the athletic staffs and coaches were well-informed of the rules and that spot checks were conducted. She also stated that “we have not had any reason to self-report any violations in this area with any of our sports.”

The evening of Aug. 30 — the Free Press report had been published in that morning’s print editions — U-M announced that the athletic department would investigate the allegations.

A flurry of activity followed in early September:

• U-M hired an outside counsel, Gene Marsh, a lawyer based in Birmingham, Ala., who had spent nine years on the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.

• Athletic director Bill Martin said he would not be involved in the investigation, to be led by his compliance department, led by Van Horn.

• President Mary Sue Coleman said U-M would conduct its investigation in conjunction with the NCAA.

Several bombshells started arriving in late October:

• Martin, after 10 years on the job, announced that he would retire Sept. 4, 2010, dedication day for renovated Michigan Stadium. If a successor were hired beforehand, he would do consulting work in the meantime. (Dave Brandon, the CEO of Ann Arbor-based Domino’s Pizza, a former football player for Bo Schembechler and a former member of the Board of Regents, was hired in January to replace Martin.)

• The NCAA sent Coleman a letter of inquiry, meanings its investigation had turned up evidence of major violations and the probe would continue. The NCAA set Dec. 31 as a target to have the inquiry completed.

• During Ohio State week, U-M revealed that an internal audit showed that football coaches failed to file required forms to school compliance officers that documented the hours put in by players for the entire 2008-09 school year.
U-M received the worst possible news in late February:

• The NCAA sent Coleman a notice of allegations on Feb.?22. It accused U-M five potential major violations.

• The next day, Coleman, Brandon and Rodriguez announced the details of the charges: a failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program, an excessive number of coaches (because the quality-control staff was involved in coaching activities), coaches attending voluntary off-season workouts and exceeding practice- and training-time limits, then-graduate assistant coach Alex Herron lying during the investigation, and the athletic department failing to adequately monitor the football program to assure compliance with NCAA rules.

• U-M had 90 days to respond to the NCAA’s notice. Rodriguez and Herron received their own letters and were expected to file responses, too.

• Brandon guaranteed that Rodriguez would be U-M’s coach for the 2010 season.

The road ahead …

At a February news conference, president Mary Sue Coleman, athletic director Dave Brandon and coach Rich Rodriguez called the NCAA’s allegations extremely serious while characterizing U-M’s transgressions as mistakes and misinterpretations of rules, not a systematic and intentional breach of NCAA standards.

Experts have told the Free Press that the most likely penalties from the NCAA are probation, a loss of scholarships and a reduction of future practice time. A temporary reduction in the number of coaches also is possible. (Probation is both an admonishment from the NCAA and a warning that further violations during the probationary period could result in more severe penalties, including the so-called death penalty for a sport.)

A school convicted of a major infraction automatically receives at least two years of probation. U-M — which has won more games than any college program — had never been found guilty of a major violation.

U-M’s response to the notice of allegations goes to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions. It is a 10-member board, chaired by Paul Dee, a former athletic director at Miami (Fla.). The committee will decide whether U-M’s self-imposed sanctions are sufficient or to add more penalties.

U-M will appear before the committee at its meeting Aug.?13-14 in Seattle. The NCAA has recommended that U-M bring nearly a dozen officials to its hearing, including Coleman, Brandon and Rodriguez.

In its notice of allegations, the NCAA wrote to Coleman: “As the president, the committee is most interested in your presentation.”

The NCAA also told Coleman that it expected to see Judy Van Horn, the associate athletic director for compliance; and Percy Bates, the faculty athletics representative. The NCAA also wrote that it hoped U-M would bring Mike Barwis, the director of strength and conditioning; Ann Vollano, the assistant athletic director for compliance; Joe Parker, a senior associate athletic director; Scott Draper, the assistant athletic director for football; and Brad Labadie, the director of football operations.

U-M faced several hurdles in crafting a response that the committee would accept without adding penalties and that would allow the football program to move as quickly as possible past the scrutiny and uncertainty of the past nine months.

• In many enforcement cases, the accused school can request a summary disposition. With this option, the infractions committee can give a thumbs-up to a school’s self-imposed penalties without a hearing. U-M, however, is not eligible for this option to speed up the process because the NCAA considers the school a repeat violator.

U-M has repeat violator status because of the Ed Martin basketball scandal, which the NCAA ruled on in May 2003. The NCAA alleged that football violations started within a five-year window of the basketball case. Rodriguez was hired in December 2007. The notice of allegations charged that U-M’s violations started in January 2008.

Without a summary disposition, U-M will have to appear before the infractions committee and, according to experts, possibly be subject to harsher penalties as a result. Its status as a repeat violator can subject it to harsher penalties, too.

• No previous case exactly matches Michigan’s. The closest involved San Diego State because it dealt with off-season workouts, but that case was decided in 2003. Only Dee remains from the infractions committee that decided the case. His term ends in September. (Also on the 2003 committee was Gene Marsh, a law professor at Alabama who was hired last year as U-M’s outside counsel to navigate the NCAA waters.)

• Since 2008, according to an analysis conducted by the Free Press, the infractions committee has rarely accepted self-imposed sanctions without additional penalties. And in those cases when it did not add penalties, the cases were handled using summary disposition.

Once the committee holds a hearing, it tries to render a decision in three to five weeks. However, difficult cases can take significantly longer. In late February, the committee held a three-day hearing about major allegations involving Southern California’s football and men’s basketball programs. No decision has been announced more than three months later.

If U-M does not like the committee’s ruling, it can appeal it to the Infractions Appeals Committee, which has five members. Such a move could delay a final resolution for months.

Rodriguez has 3 1/2 years left on a six-year, $15 million contract that he agreed to in principle in December 2007, when he left West Virginia. He signed the final document in October 2008.

If his program is found to have committed a major NCAA rules violation, by the NCAA, the Big Ten or to have intentionally committed any other type of violation of NCAA rules, U-M could fire him “for cause” and not pay him anything.

He also could be fired for his poor record — he’s 8-16 after two seasons — but then U-M would need to pay him $4 million, a number that decreases to $2.5 million in the fourth year of his contract.

INDIANAPOLIS — West Virginia and Butler couldn’t beat Duke at the Final Four.

They both finished ahead of the Blue Devils in the classroom.

Three of the men’s Final Four teams – the Bulldogs, Mountaineers and Michigan State – made the NCAA’s list of academic overachievers Wednesday while the national champs were left out.

The biggest surprise on the list: West Virginia, whose coach, Bob Huggins, has repeatedly been criticized for not taking academics seriously. Huggins’ Cincinnati teams had a 0.0 graduation rate for several seasons.

“It’s a commitment by the athletic department and the university to supply the resources to help the players succeed academically,” Huggins said in a statement released by the school. “I commend our guys not only for their performance on the floor but in their academic work in the classroom as well.”

NCAA officials annually honor the top 10 percent of teams in each sport and all teams with perfect Academic Progress Rate scores. This year, 841 teams made the list of so-called overachievers, including Oklahoma – the only women’s Final Four team to make the list. Last year, 767 teams were recognized.

The actual scores, which will be released later this spring, cover the fall semester of 2005 through the spring semester of 2009. That means only two of those academic years came during Huggins’ tenure. The other two were under John Beilein, who left for Michigan after 2006-07.

Each athlete earns one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating. A mathematical formula is then used to correlate a team’s score, with 1,000 points being perfect.

It is the first time West Virginia made the list in men’s basketball, and under Huggins, West Virginia’s number improved. Last year, the Mountaineers’ had a 960. This year, the NCAA said, none of the honorees scored lower than 978.

Just as surprising was not seeing Duke on the list. The Blue Devils had made it each of the past two years.

Teams lose one point if players transfer or leave early for the NBA and a second point if they are not in good academic standing when they leave.

Read More WVU tops Duke in the classroom  – WVU Sports – Charleston Daily Mail – West Virginia News and Sports -.

WVU's Sophomore forward Kevin Jones

by Mike Casazza

WVU’s Jones decided against entering NBA Draft
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Kevin Jones knew the limelight would belong to Devin Ebanks Tuesday and never intended to join his teammate in making a definitive statement about playing in the NBA.

For a time, though, it was a possibility.

On the night Ebanks revealed he’d signed with an agent and would skip his final two seasons to stay in the draft, Jones admitted he, too, considered entering the process himself.

“I did think about it, but I thought about it again and figured my chances weren’t as good as they could be in the future,” the 6-foot-8, 250-pound sophomore forward said.

“I never actually did it. It was just a thought, but I did think about it.”

Jones said his decision-making process began in discussions with his older brother, Gerard. Underclassmen are allowed to enter the draft and withdraw their name once in their college careers and it made sense to Jones to at least consider the option, he said.

He started all 38 games this year after coming off the bench in all 35 games last season and went from 19.3 minutes per game to 33. His production jumped similarly. He bumped his scoring average from 6.3 to 13.5 points per game, and his rebounding average from 4.9 to 7.2.

Most noticeable was his improved shooting. Jones was 3-for-14 from 3-point range as a freshman, but made 42 of 104 (40.4 percent) attempts as a sophomore in helping WVU go 31-7.

“With the season we had and all the success we had and my success personally, I had to think about the things I could do, but I didn’t think I was at that level yet,” he said.

The decision came after some research. Jones went to the WVU coaching staff and it was agreed WVU would solicit opinions from NBA people.

Jones said he was told he’d be a second-round pick.

As of Wednesday – three days before the withdrawal deadline – 78 underclassmen were still in the draft pool and 28 had signed with agents. About two dozen international players were also committed to the process.

The draft is two rounds and 60 picks long. Only the 30 first-round picks are guaranteed multi-year contracts.

“There are a lot of people coming out – a whole lot of people,” Jones said. “I thought, ‘Why go through all of that when I can come back, get better and take my chances next year or the year after that?’”

With the graduations of leading scorer Da’Sean Butler and Wellington Smith and the early exit of Ebanks, the Mountaineers will be without 35.8 points per game. Jones stands in line to absorb many of the extra opportunities as the centerpiece of what will be a reconstituted approach for WVU.

The Mountaineers figure to play with three guards and two forwards quite a bit, but also rely on the frontcourt to score in bunches.

“We’re going to be fine,” Coach Bob Huggins said. “We’re going to be bigger and stronger. We’re going to have more guards than we’ve ever had. We’re not going to have (Butler, Smith and Ebanks), which are tremendous losses, but you lose somebody every year. You just have to have somebody step up to compensate.”

Jones understood he could be that somebody and benefit like Butler and Ebanks and Joe Alexander before them.

“He made me a great player and I’m taking everything I learned from him to the next level,” Ebanks said. “I’m sure others will, too.”

Already Jones said he’s focused on his dribbling and ball-handling so he can take defenders outside for jump shots, but also establish a dribble-drive threat so he can score on the move and be a more complete threat for the Mountaineers.

“I’ll let that happen when it happens, but for now I’m just focused on getting better so if they do put me in that role I’m good enough to handle that role,” he said. “There’s a difference between playing it and being able to handle it. Being able to score when we need it is important.”

WVU’s Jones decided against entering NBA Draft  – WVU Sports – Charleston Daily Mail – West Virginia News and Sports -.

via WVU signs last scholarship recruit for Huggins ’11 class

West Virginia’s senior starting cornerback was cited over the weekend for disorderly conduct and public urination in Morgantown. He was not arrested after the incident early Sunday morning.

“I am looking into the situation, gathering facts and will take appropriate action once all the facts are in,” said WVU coach Bill Stewart.

Hogan has missed of much of spring practice because he was out of shape and falling behind in some of his class work. He recently was on the field for Friday and Saturday practices for the first time this spring, but when the team

West Virginia officials wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the allegations, but a source close to the situation said the allegations center on former Mountaineers coach and current Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

Michigan is currently under investigation for alleged NCAA rules violations concerning the amount of time players spend on football-related activities.

“The NCAA has met with individuals involved with the West Virginia football program to identify any potential rules violations,” school officials said in a statement, released on Tuesday. “The university has fully cooperated with the NCAA during this process. West Virginia University and its department of intercollegiate athletics is committed to operating its athletics department in conformance with the legislation and policies of the NCAA and the Big East Conference.”

Michael Fragale, West Virginia’s assistant athletic director for communications, said neither athletic director Ed Pastilong nor football coach Bill Stewart would comment on the NCAA inquiry. He would not specify when NCAA investigators visited the university.

On Feb. 23, Michigan officials announced the NCAA had accused its football program of five potentially major rules violations. In its notice of allegations, the NCAA alleged Rodriguez “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program.”

The report said Rodriguez tracked neither what his staff was doing nor whether his players were following NCAA rules, particularly those limiting the time spent on practice and football-related activities.

A reporter attempted to ask Rodriguez for comment on the report Tuesday at his weekly news conference and was cut off by Dave Ablauf, the director of media relations, before the question was finished.

“We’re going to pass on that,” Ablauf said.

Rodriguez did not respond.

During a news conference in which the NCAA allegations were announced, incoming Michigan athletic director David Brandon expressed full support for Rodriguez, who has an 8-16 record in two seasons at Michigan.

“Rich Rodriguez is our football coach, and he will be our football coach next year,” Brandon said at the time.

A message seeking comment was left with Rodriguez’s agent, Mike Brown.

Michigan officials have steadfastly stuck by the school’s policy to not answer NCAA-related questions until its ongoing investigation is completed.

“There is no new NCAA investigation involving the University of Michigan,” Brandon said in a statement released by the school Tuesday night. “Any question regarding an NCAA query should be directed to the NCAA. There is nothing new that would cause me to change my position. Rich will coach our team this fall.”

The NCAA also alleged that Michigan’s athletics department failed to monitor whether its football program was complying with NCAA rules. Brandon acknowledged that Michigan’s athletics department “clearly made mistakes” but said “there was no charge of loss of institutional control,” an allegation that in previous cases has led to more severe NCAA-imposed sanctions for other schools.

Before leaving West Virginia, his alma mater, to replace Lloyd Carr as Michigan’s coach before the 2008 season, Rodriguez was one of the most popular coaches in West Virginia history. He had a 60-26 record in seven seasons from 2001 to 2007 and guided the Mountaineers to two BCS bowl games.

But Rodriguez’s abrupt departure before the 2008 Fiesta Bowl was contentious, and the school sued him for a $4 million buyout.

Rodriguez and West Virginia settled the case in July 2008, as Michigan agreed to pay $2.5 million of the buyout and Rodriguez agreed to pay the remaining $1.5 million in three installments.

NCAA visited West Virginia Mountaineers to inquire about Rich Rodriguez, university says – ESPN.

West Virginia University officials confirmed today that NCAA investigators recently interviewed some university officials about potential rules violations involving the school’s football program. West Virginia’s assistant athletics director for communications, Michael Fragale, would not comment on the specifics of the investigation, but issued the following statement to the Post-Gazette:

“The NCAA has met with individuals involved with the West Virginia University football program to identify any potential rules violations,” the statement said. “The university has fully cooperated with the NCAA during this process. West Virginia University and its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to operating its athletic program in conformance with the legislation and policy of the NCAA and the Big East Conference.”

Sources close to the situation confirmed the investigation centers around former coach Rich Rodriguez’s time in Morgantown, when he coached the Mountaineers from 2001-2007 before leaving for Michigan.

On Feb. 23, Michigan officials announced the NCAA had accused its football program of five potentially major rules violations.

West Virginia media relations director for football Mike Montoro said current head coach Bill Stewart will not comment on the matter, nor will athletic director Ed Pastilong.

Via  West Virginia football program investigated by NCAA.