Citing a lack of institutional control, the NCAA Committee on Infractions has placed Miles College athletics on a four-year probation, with penalties including scholarship reductions, and prohibition from postseason competition. A copy of the full report can be found here.
Last year, Lane College cost the SIAC a televised basketball championship game with multiple NCAA rules infractions. Who would’ve guessed that just one year later, Miles College would place the conference in a position to lose a postseason participant in the Division II tournament.
The SIAC has a major problem on its hands. Two member schools in the last two years have been cited for a lack of institutional control and have made national headlines as a result. If schools will not ensure compliance integrity by their own standards, it may be time for the SIAC as a body to moderate schools’ behavior. Sanctioning home games, suspending from conference play, something has to happen to change what appears to be a culture of incompetence about the importance of following rules.
It may be the only way to prevent a trend of institutions neglecting the importance of hiring trained personnel in athletics.
