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Howard University is conducting an internal investigation into possible National Collegiate Athletic Association rules violations, and the institution has “temporarily withheld a number of student-athletes from competition,” a Howard spokeswoman, Kerry-Ann Hamilton, said Wednesday. But "most teams will compete as scheduled," she added. That statement was sent to Inside Higher Ed after it inquired about a Washington City Paper blog post quoting Hamilton as saying “intercollegiate athletic competition” -- in other words, all 17 of Howard’s teams -- had been suspended.
Because programs can be punished for letting players compete when they had indications that the athletes may have been involved in a violation that would render them ineligible, it’s standard procedure for colleges to suspend anyone who may have been involved in the violation and then ask the NCAA to reinstate them later. But it would be rare for a university to suspend all of its teams, and a sign that officials are unsure just how widespread the potential violations were. The City Paper reported Wednesday that, according to a member of the bowling team, the university allowed athletes to spend unused textbook voucher money on whatever else they wanted, which would constitute a rules violation. That student also said Howard will not allow any athletes to register for classes until they repay any money improperly spent. Hamilton could not comment on those assertions, nor could she provide further details.
