OLE MISS
The Ole Miss-NCAA saga finally came to a close Thursday, as the school announced the NCAA has made its final decision on the school’s appeal following the 2018 bowl ban and recruiting restrictions.
This is good news and bad news for Ole Miss, as the 2018 bowl ban remains but the ban on unofficial visits to campus for prospects has been removed.
Ole Miss Chancellor Jeffrey S. Vitter and AD Ross Bjork co-signed a letter explaining the NCAA’s decision, the full letter can be read here:
Today, the NCAA released the Infractions Appeals Committee (IAC) decision, bringing the nearly six-year process to an end. The university prevailed in its appeal of the most onerous sanction, the penalty restricting unofficial visits. According to the IAC, “the Committee on Infractions (COI) abused its discretion when prescribing penalty VII.5.c [unofficial visit restrictions] in that it was based in significant part on one or more irrelevant or improper factors.” The IAC overturned the penalty entirely, clearing the way for the football program to move forward and continue recruiting at a high level.
…
Throughout the NCAA enforcement process, we accepted responsibility for violations of NCAA bylaws that were grounded in fact, and we took meaningful corrective action and self-imposed harsh sanctions. However, when allegations not grounded in fact were presented, we vigorously defended our great university.
As leaders at the University of Mississippi, we are sorry for what the Ole Miss family has endured throughout this long, arduous process. As the state’s flagship university, our resolve has been tested many times in our history, and we have prevailed by staying true to our core values combined with the amazing support of the Ole Miss family. This challenge will not define us, and we will be stronger because of it.
This ordeal is now over. Our attention must now be on the present and the future of our football program, and we are calling on the Ole Miss family to help finish this season strong. With the freedom to recruit and promote all that the University of Mississippi has to offer, Coach Luke and his staff will keep building on the momentum we have in our program.
So as I’ve told anyone on here that would listen, the penalties are over after this year. No scholarship reductions, no recruiting restrictions and we probably weren’t going to be bowl eligible this year anyway.
The investigation hurt us more than the actual penalties.
All right! The restrictions on unofficial visits was unprecedented and the most ridiculous sanction ever.
So bjork fails again
Nice going ross
And enough with this “flagship” silliness.
Declining enrollment
Declining donations
Declining ticket sales and athletics donations
Embarrassing political situations on campus
Embarrassing athletics losses.
Flagship my A- –
There are other reasons why Ole Miss is the flagship of the state, you moron. It’s not just about football. Ole Miss could lose it’s football team forever and we’d still be the flagship. It’s clear you’ve never attended Ole Miss, or else you’d know this. It’s also clear you don’t know what makes a university a flagship university. But by all means keep pounding that chest, State fan.
Actually you’ve proven you have never set foot on the campus unless you are cleaning the Johns or servicing them. Most all the UM alums wish you would disappear. You have no couth and you disparage the people you think are mentally challenged. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. Everything about you sucks a nus.
I’m pretty sure you won’t respond to this….
K.Y.
And where did your Col Reb go?
Great news!!
The worst penalty is still in play – Bjork is still the AD.
I personally hope y’all keep Bjork, but that’s not the best thing for Ole Miss. I guessing Bjork is gone by New Years.
Season ticket renewals go out early in the new year. If they have any sense, they will bounce him before that.
The key phrase being “have any sense”
Unofficial visits were the most onerous sanction? All that has been talked about for the last year is how unfair the 2018 bowl ban was and how it was going to be overturned. This is the first time I’ve heard any significant complaint about the unofficial visits ban. This is what Vitter and Bjork consider prevailing? Wow.
Dumb and dumber are desperate for something positive. They will brag about any bone the ncaa throws them.
I’m not sure who you were listening to, but limiting unofficial visits is a much worse issue than not being allowed to play in some minor, meaningless bowl and always has been. The unofficial visit ban is something that had never been used before, even in much more egregious cases, and would make very innocuous occurrences a potential violation. How are you going to limit how many times a player can visit a college on his own dime?
I’m not questioning the relative severity of the two penalties. I’m just amused that Bjork has been saying loudly and often since the penalties were announced that the second bowl ban was unfair and uncalled for and would be over-turned while making almost no noise about the unofficial visit ban. Now that the bowl ban was upheld, they shift gears to find another “most important”. I guess they just had to spin it to try and save some face. Too funny.
In terms of how crazy the sanction itself is I mean yeah of all of them it was the most over the top sanction they got. Basically telling recruits who want to see a game or visit the campus (which is any persons right) “sorry you can only do that once” is definitely over stepping.
I hope it’s over, it’s bad for the SEC to have a member hand-cuffed. What would be worse though is more questionable behavior. It erodes trust and then other members start looking for ways to cut-corners. I wonder if the Big 12 is testing Grier (one example). Does anybody want an Ohio State in the SEC where the whole state says only a little bit of blood so no foul? I’m still mad as hell at the Pinkel staff for not de-scholarshiping those players threatened to not keep their promises to the University. The NCAA should have stepped in there and made them all ineligible. College football is just too much fun for dirt. I hope we keep looking for cheaters vigorously. It looks like we have an game officials problem to clean up now.