NCAA Sanctions Press Conference -- Mary Sue Coleman
5/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | General
Comments from U-M Press Conference
Regarding NCAA Infractions Committee Report
Mary Sue Coleman, U-M President
Opening statement ... "First and foremost we remain committed to the integrity of our athletics program. The acceptance by four former Michigan basketball players of improper loans from Ed Martin was wrong, it violated the NCAA rules. And we believe strong actions were necessary to make sure that such behavior never again occurs at the University of Michigan. We've always accepted responsibility for the concerns raised by the NCAA and by the infractions committee that are displayed in this report. We agree that these were very serious infractions and we accept the additional penalties imposed by the committee that address the loss of four scholarships over four years, an extension of the probation period to four years, and the requirement to disassociate from the players involved, or demonstrate why they should not be disassociated. We own the wrongdoing and we own the responsibility.
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"Lastly I want to say that it's really time for us to move forward. This has been a long time. We expect this focused appeal to conclude in the early fall, and we now are going to concentrate all of our efforts on supporting Coach (Tommy) Amaker and his great work, to build a wonderful basketball program at the University of Michigan."
You said in November it was great day of shame. What do you think today is ... "I think it's a mixed emotion. In one, it's relief that we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it's disappointment. As I said, we're accepting the sanctions, we own this, we take responsibility. We've never not taken responsibility. I am disappointed in the postseason ban because that disproportionately affects young people who didn't have anything to do with this."
The committee stated this was the largest cash payment violation they'd seen. If they can't impose two years for that, what can they impose two years for ... "I'm not arguing with the infractions committee in its work. We feel we stood up and took responsibility. We really did say we own this, we're responsible for it. In doing that back in November really led the way and set the standards for other institutions. I'm just disappointed because I do think this does affect current students in a way that is disproportionate."
What is the likelihood of winning the appeal ... "I think Commissioner (Tom) Yaeger pointed out it's fairly routine for institutions to appeal. There have been instances in the past where such an appeal has been successful and I believe there was one with LSU. I don't know the details."
What future precautions can U-M take to prevent boosters from getting this close to the program ... "The University really did step up to the plate several years ago and in fact started addressing this. The hiring of Judy Van Horn (associate director of athletics for compliance) was a signal event for the University. Her position has been elevated to associate athletics director. Her staff has been strengthened. She is relentless in going out and talking to coaches, talking to players. She is exactly the kind of person we want in this role. She knows my door is open anytime if there's anything she's concerned about and she's thought that she's not getting the cooperation. Our athletic director said the same thing. His door is open all the time for her. I have great confidence that she will let us know if anything is remiss. We also let all of our fans know what our expectations are. We even advertise in our programs for games. You'll see a page about NCAA rules and compliance. We are doing everything we can to have a public education campaign about what is allowable and what is not. And then we're monitoring it very, very closely. I'm extremely pleased about what I've seen so far."
Did you consider accepting penalties ... "We thought about this long and hard. When we were thinking about own self-imposed penalties back in November, again, we went through this long, hard procedure. We absolutely came unanimously to what we did in November. That we thought that this was significant, that it was the right thing to do. We all stood together and did it. Clearly, we were disappointed about the additional postseason ban. We worked through that. We're unanimous now in terms of doing the appeal. I want to make it clear that we accept responsibility for what happened. We're not trying to shirk that responsibility."
On every administrator, coach and player being aware of potential for punishment ... "One of things we tried hard to do back in November is to really stand up and say we're responsible and we're going to give ourselves some tough medicine. That was hard. As I said, the only part of this we're contesting is the ban on postseason play. We owe it to our student-athletes to appeal. We're going to put together the best case we can. But, we are also focused on moving forward. It's time to move forward. We want to support Coach Amaker and support our players and look toward a positive future."
Did the University's cooperation save face, or do you expect repercussions on the national scene, through reputation or the recruiting process ... "I'm very proud of what the University has done, not only since I've been here but what my predecessors have done in trying to get to the truth. I wouldn't change a thing about what happened. It was the right thing to do, and we did the right thing."
Contact: Bruce Madej (734) 763-4423
