By Reed DeSalvo & Ben Hillyer

The Natchez Democrat

LORMAN — Alcorn State University’s athletic programs were put on probation and its records stripped Wednesday by the NCAA.

The Division I Committee on Infractions announced that ASU used 28 ineligible players in 11 sports between the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 academic years.

Alcorn officials said in a statement Wednesday the infractions were a result of an unintentional administrative error and not any form of improper behavior.

“In November 2014, Alcorn established the Office of Athletic Compliance and Academic Services to strengthen its policies and restructure student athlete support services,” ASU president Alfred Rankins Jr. said in the statement.

“In taking full responsibility for these problems and complete ownership of and pride in our program, much has been done to rectify the matter; strategic, focused decisions will continue to be made to strengthen and solidify the operations and practices of the department and all associated university constituents,” the statement said.

The NCAA committee issued penalties that include a two-year probation period ending Oct. 18, 2018, a vacation of records for games in which ineligible student-athletes competed, a $5,000 fine and a public reprimand and censure for the university.

The ruling does not affect the football program’s SWAC championships in 2014 and 2015.

Alcorn State agreed to the violations and penalties and will not appeal.

The school improperly certified those athletes as eligible in regards to the NCAA progress-toward-degree legislation, which states athletes must complete certain amounts of their majors throughout their academic careers in order to remain eligible.

The incorrect certifications were discovered during a performance audit.

The violations occurred in 11 separate sports, including football, baseball and men’s and women’s basketball.

The committee found four separate incidents of wrongdoing:

-During the 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years, 26 student-athletes in the sports of baseball, men’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, football, women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s track and field and women’s volleyball competed without successfully completing their percentage-toward-degree requirements. As a result, the student-athletes received actual and necessary travel expenses for competition while ineligible and competed during subsequent academic years without the institution seeking reinstatement.

-During the 2012-13 through 2014-15 academic years, a men’s basketball student-athlete and women’s tennis student-athlete competed without satisfactory completion of at least six semester hours of degree credit toward the student-athletes’ designated degree program during the preceding regular academic term. As a result, the student-athletes received actual and necessary travel expenses for competition while ineligible and competed during subsequent academic years without the institution seeking reinstatement.

-During the 2012-13 through 2014-15 academic years, a men’s basketball student-athlete, women’s cross country student-athlete and women’s tennis student-athlete competed without satisfactory completion of at least 18 semester hours of degree credit toward the students’ designated degree program since the beginning of the previous fall term. As a result, the student-athletes received actual and necessary travel expenses for competition while ineligible and competed during subsequent academic years without the institution seeking reinstatement.

-During the 2012-13 academic year, a baseball student-athlete, in the fourth year of enrollment, competed without designating a prgram of study. As a result, the student-athlete received actual and necessary travel expenses for competition while ineligible and competed during subsequent academic years without the institution seeking reinstatement.

Alcorn State said on its website Wednesday that no programs were eliminated, scholarships were not affected and no programs are currently subject to a post-season competition ban.

Click here for NCAA report