The Missouri Tigers were recently banned from the 2019 postseason by the NCAA for infractions that occurred a few years ago. The penalties have been called “overly harsh” by the university, and many have questioned whether Mizzou’s penalties will discourage other schools from cooperating with NCAA investigations.

On Monday, the Tigers filed an appeal of the ruling to the NCAA Committee on Infractions, and will now await the results of that appeal.

In its appeals brief, which was summarized by the university here, the Tigers made three main arguments:

  • The penalties handed down were contrary to NCAA case precedent;
  • They were not supported, or appropriate, given the nature of the violations;
  • They could have a chilling effect on future NCAA enforcement processes.

To that last point, AD Jim Sterk said he’s surprised by the message the Committee on Infractions is sending with its harsh punishment of Mizzou, which seems to discourage other schools from cooperating in the future:

“A message is sent to the membership every time the NCAA Committee on Infractions adjudicates cases. In this instance, the message is loud and clear that neither proactive self-reporting nor exemplary cooperation is of any value to the committee. I am shocked this is the message the NCAA wants to send to its membership in today’s climate,” Sterk said.

Based on the bad luck Mizzou has had in recent years, fans won’t be holding their breath when it comes to the appeal, but right now, it seems at least like a 50-50 chance that the NCAA will reverse its decision.