The Syracuse Orange attempted to preempt the NCAA by suspending themselves from the NCAA Championship this year. Which was interesting. But that’s like a kid getting caught, saying “I won’t watch TV for a week” and then the parent goes “That’s honorable of you, but no TV. For two weeks.”
I’m not exactly sure what was the point of Syracuse doing that. The NCAA were going to clamp down regardless. And they have in a sizeable way. According to CBS Sports, the NCAA have given the Orange sever to sanctions. Most notably, suspending head coach Jim Boeheim 9 games next season.
Hall of Fame coach, Jim Boeheim. Boeheim will be suspended for the team’s first nine ACC games next season and the school will lose three scholarships per year through 2018-19 as punishment for infractions that occurred with the men’s basketball program over the past 10 years.
The trangressions include “academic misconduct,” repeated drug violations and a booster doling out cash to Syracuse players and staff members.
“Over the course of a decade, Syracuse University did not control and monitor its athletics programs, and its head men’s basketball coach failed to monitor his program,” the NCAA’s release states.
The school and Boeheim will also be forced to vacate its victories “in which ineligible men’s basketball students played in 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2010-11 and 2011-12.” Boeheim won 135 games in those five seasons; 106 of the wins will be taken out of the record books. His 2012-13 team, which reached the Final Four, was not found in violation of NCAA rules.
This is a serious blip on a historic college. And also on a Hall Of Fame coach.
All those years. Wiped. Gone from the record books. That’s some serious sanctions there. For the first time since Penn State. The NCAA have made a statement that will last.
