COLUMBIA (WACH, AP) - The University of South Carolina failed to monitor its athletics program and is responsible for impermissible recruiting, extra benefits and preferential treatment, according to a decision announced Friday by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions.
USC will be put on three years of probation from April 27, 2012, through April 26, 2015, among other penalties.
The NCAA accepted the school's proposed sanctions to cut six football scholarships the next three years and reduce its official recruiting visits by more than half.
There were no forfeiture of games or bowl ban attached the penalties which stemmed from athletes receiving $59,000 in impermissible benefits. The NCAA said South Carolina's cooperation went "beyond standard expectations."
The school will also pay a fine of $18,500.
The case involved athletes staying at a local hotel near campus at a reduced rate and its connection to a mentoring group based in Delaware.
In a statement, USC athletics director Eric Hyman said, “The University regrets the past actions and decisions by individuals that resulted in violations of NCAA legislation. We are pleased, however, that the Committee on Infractions found the corrective actions we have taken and the penalties we have self-imposed reflect the University’s commitment to full compliance with NCAA rules.”
You can read the NCAA report here: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/pdfs/2012/south+carolina+public+report
(Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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