CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The NCAA informed University of Miami administrators it will consider invoking its “willful violators” clause and make an exception to the traditional four-year statute of limitations in the Nevin Shapiro case, Yahoo Sports reported Thursday.
Traditionally, the NCAA’s bylaws would allow it to sanction the Hurricanes only for infractions that occurred during the four years prior to receiving a letter of inquiry from investigators. For example, if Miami received a letter of inquiry for a case Sept. 1, 2011, the NCAA could sanction the school only for applicable violations dating to Sept. 1, 2007. But the clause — reserved for “a pattern of willful violations” — can spin a probe back to the earliest applicable infractions.
Applied to the Shapiro allegations, it means the NCAA could reach as far back to early 2002, when the booster said he began funneling benefits to Hurricanes players. And if the probe stretched to 2002, it would overlap with Miami’s two-year probationary period from the baseball program, which was leveled from February 2003 to February 2005. That could potentially tag the Hurricanes athletic program with a “repeat violator” label and make the school further susceptible to the NCAA’s so-called death penalty.
“We need to make sure that we’ve got, for the committee on infractions, all the tools they need to create those kinds of deterrents,” NCAA president Mark Emmert told USA Today. “If that includes the death penalty, I’m fine with that.”
Footnotes.
Pittsburgh freshman wide receiver Darius Patton was hospitalized after collapsing during practice. He was to be held overnight for observation.
• Boston College running back Montel Harris will miss the next three to four weeks of practice with a knee injury.
• Washington running back Chris Polk could be out two weeks after having an arthroscopic procedure to clean up the meniscus in his knee.
Denver Post wire services
