Clemson says it committed 10 NCAA violations
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- Clemson reported 10 NCAA secondary violations including two that involved female athletes who received prize money for outside competitions while enrolled in school.
Clemson said Friday an athlete had to give $10,803 in winnings to charity to have her eligibility restored. The other athlete paid $975 in winnings to charity.
Both were among four Level 1 violations, the more serious NCAA category, the athletic department found from October 2011 through July. No athletes, sports or coaches were identified by Clemson.
Two violations involved Clemson athletes and the social media site, Twitter. Clemson said two current athletes Tweeted about prospects before they had signed to play for the Tigers. The tweets were deleted and the athletes were given reviews on the NCAA rules.
Clemson released its secondary violations due to open records requests made by The Associated Press and other media outlets.
Another violation involved a head coach who met with a prospect and family during a time when recruiting wasn't allowed, referred to as a dead period. Clemson said the coach had forgotten about the dead period because the team wasn't planning to sign anyone during the early spring signing.
The prospect contacted the coach last April before a tournament in a neighboring state and then the player and his family visited Clemson before returning home. The coach discovered their error after reading an article on a player the team had signed and realized the contact he made was against the rules.
The coach got a letter of admonishment and the prospect declared ineligible, although Clemson has asked the NCAA to restore their eligibility. The team will be docked one of its three permissible off-campus contacts with the student.
Athletic director Terry Don Phillips, who announced his retirement last week, called his compliance office in April after reading another school's violation report and realizing Clemson had given athletes textbooks through scholarship funds instead of NCAA student-athlete opportunity funds from the fall of 2007 through the summer of 2011. Clemson's entire athletic staff was updated on rules regarding required books.
One athlete's picture was used in advertising for a local business against NCAA rules. The business was sent a cease-and-desist letter.
Last month, a Clemson coach discovered three of their athletes played on an outside team during the summer, one more than allowed by NCAA rules. The players were held out of one day of preseason practice.