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The National Collegiate Athletic Association has placed Cheyney University of Pennsylvania on probation for five years after it allowed more than 100 athletes to compete without first being certified as amateurs by the NCAA's eligibility center.
From 2007 to 2011, 109 uncertified athletes competed and received financial aid, the NCAA said in a conference call Thursday. During that same time frame, a men's basketball player was allowed to compete while not enrolled in the required number of credit hours and three other players competed despite not having met transfer requirements. Two football players were also permitted to compete after they were deemed "academic non-qualifiers" by the NCAA.
"A former compliance director failed to monitor when she neglected to follow proper procedures in student-athletes’ eligibility certification," the NCAA stated. "The failure resulted in violations of initial, transfer and continuing eligibility certification; financial aid; and extra benefits involving numerous student-athletes in all of the university sports."
In addition to the probation, Cheyney University will lose its NCAA Division II voting privileges for two years, must attend a rules seminar every year for the next five years, and will have all wins in which the ineligible athletes participated from 2007 to 2011 vacated.
