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Saturday, May 17, 1997

UTEP appeals NCAA sanctions; AD says punishment did not fit crime

By EDUARDO MONTES / Associated Press Writer

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - Texas-El Paso concedes its athletic department has had problems but began appealing NCAA sanctions Friday because the punishment was too harsh, the school's athletic director said.

UTEP opened the appellate process by sending the NCAA a notification that it will contest the penalties, which include the loss of scholarships in football and men's and women's basketball and forfeiture of some games.

"We are arguing they were sins of omission rather than commission and that the penalties are too severe," said UTEP athletic director John Thompson. "The punishment does not fit the crime."

The NCAA announced May 1 that it was putting UTEP on probation for five years because of a lack of institutional control and what were characterized as minor but rampant transgressions of NCAA regulations.

The NCAA found UTEP used ineligible players, incorrectly certified ineligible players and exceeded the permissible number of football scholarships, among other violations.

Once the Infraction Appeals Committee receives UTEP's appeal notification, it will set a 30-day period for the school to submit detailed information on why it feels the NCAA's findings were inappropriate.

UTEP also will have the option of requesting a hearing to present its case, after which the committee will make a decision, said Robin Green, administrator for the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

"Their decision is final and not subject to further review," she said.

She noted the NCAA will not impose any contested penalties until after the appeals process is completed, which could take several months.

Although UTEP is shaping its appeals strategy, Thompson said he expects the university to emphasize the steps it has taken during the last two years to correct athletic department mistakes.

"We're going to work like the devil to explain ... why these kinds of errors can't happen again, or why it would be very remote that it would happen again," Thompson said.

UTEP has been beefing up its compliance staff after being stung repeatedly by eligibility problems. Most notably, the men's basketball team had to forfeit an early round victory in the 1996 Western Athletic Conference tournament because coaches unwittingly used an ineligible player.

UTEP also was placed on three years' probation in 1991 after the NCAA found the basketball program violated recruiting rules and that players received improper gifts from boosters. Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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