Mizzou files appeal to NCAA over 2019 sanctions, AD Jim Sterk issues strong statement against NCAA
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.
Good luck Missouri.
Others who’ve done far worse things for much longer (UNC, scUM for example) have gotten off with far less severe penalties relatively speaking. Hoping the ncaa has a change of heart and eases up on Zou. Best of luck.
Thanks mudragon! It’s nice to see other fans from the SEC back Mizzou on this one. It seems like the NCAA are the ones who are completely in the wrong given the backlash from not only Mizzou fans, not only SEC fans, but college football fans in general. The 3rd point in particular is interesting since it’s less reliant on historical precedent but more forward looking. Mizzou is really putting it to the committee as they’re calling them out, which is a nice touch. If they don’t lessen the sanctions then the NCAA looks bad in condoning lying/stonewalling. Well played Sterk!
Much appreciated LSUSMC.
Please get back to us on the formula of how beating Louisville twice in the regular season is more important than winning two SEC games.
Would that erase the two losses to Tennessee?
I want to see how that would help us win the SEC regular season and get a better seeding in the conference tournament.
Thanks.
Hope this is reduced to “misdemeanor” level – no way it merited a felony conviction. If the NCAA doesn’t backpedal on this one, they may lose enough school presidents to initiate major change. The NCAA need to remember they exist at the pleasure of the member schools.
I totally agree. Maybe the NCAA needs to come under investigation about how they decide who gets what penalty.
I don’t know who’s in the right of this situation, but shouldn’t the SEC just withdraw from the NCAA?
With the NCAA holding what seems to be annual investigations on a new SEC team every year, why not withdraw?
Phooey, on national championships. If you win the SEC are we already a national champion?
We could make our own rules, dish out the correct punishments and wouldn’t have to worry about what the rest of the country cares.
And if Alabama continues to dominate football, throw them out!
Kentucky seems to be falling back into the pack in basketball, but if they become the dominate team they have in the past, bye bye.
We could pay the players, give their families residency in the school’s location, allow them to ride the team planes, etc. and tell the NCAA to suffer without us.
That would show them wouldn’t it?
Why not start our own association?
Imagine the Southeastern Conference Association!
And if you team gets stung on an investigation you could appeal to be re-instated to the NCAA.
Heck, the best of both worlds.
Where the heck did you get that stuff you’re smoking?
The Ad makes excellent points. One tutor does work for athletes and you get 2 years probation. An entire university is caught in academic fraud gets nothing. Note from the NCAA, if your lying and cheating you should at least continue to lie.
I’d love to see a justification for those odds on reversal, because it smells like it was pulled out of a stinking orifice. Why make up something like that? And why present such an unfounded opinion as fact?
1) Appreciate the kind words from fellow conference fans — refreshing 2) I think the NCAA simply tore the page out of the sanctions they wanted to give North Carolina and just gave them to Mizzou — that simple — that lazy — that vindictive 3) I think 50-50 is optimistic, based upon the power-hungry bureaucratic NCAA’s history
Plus look at their transfer waiver decisions recently for a really good indication of what a feckless, hypocritical bunch they are. They have to keep the reasons for their decision-making secret under the guise of “student privacy” otherwise this would be even more laughable. Complete lack of integrity.
From what I can gather, I think the appeals board is a (somewhat?) independent group of people. I know the same group (you know—the one led by a Kansas grad) that decided the infractions is not involved at all in the appeal.
As a very loyal Mizzou fan that has lived through years of perceived endless bad luck on every level….I honestly believe we have a good shot at having a large portion of the sanctions taken away.
Logically, it’s a given that they are a greedy governing body, so they will keep the 1% ‘fine’ from the athletics department. However, there is absolutely no precedent or reason to keep the recruiting sanctions in place.
Obviously, the post season ban is the major target of the appeal–and this is the hardest one to predict on. The argument MU is pressing is that it was too harsh of a punishment. That is completely subjective. I just hope that the appeals board agrees with what most logical fans have stated—the punishment did not fit the ‘crime’
Out of the very mouth of the NCAA, “The tutor was not under the influence of anyone”
Out of the very mouth of the tutor, “pay me hush money and I won’t tell anyone what I did”
Out of the mouth of the University of Missouri, “we accept responsibility for not monitoring all tutors more closely”
None of the athletes involved are still wearing Missouri uniforms.
Personally, I almost sure this is about the University of Missouri not paying cash to the NCAA or indirectly to the NCAA, or to the committee, or not being otherwise politically favored by those that control cash flow from the conference to NCAA. This is about protecting about 4 teams in the SEC, and grabbing money and soliciting money from lots of programs that know they can’t watch every tutor. It stinks. Jim Sterk knows exactly what is going on here.
Thanks to all the SEC bloggers and readers who are supporting Missouri on this. Your fair-minded opinions are powerful.
Supporting our fellow SEC teams when we see them being treated unfairly is key to fighting the NCAA. I think our voice is louder as a conference. None of us want to be treated this way, and we shouldn’t stand for it when it happens to others. The enforcement history of this organization is suspect to say the least.
I wonder how the Mizzou penalty will be affected by the college entrance scandal that recently hit the press. Not all of those incidents involved NCAA athletes, but USC, Texas and others make the Mizzou infractions look like child’s play.