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NCAA upholds Purdue's penalties
Posted: Wednesday January 26, 2000 11:40 AM
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) -- The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee on Wednesday upheld findings and penalties involving Purdue University's men's basketball program but reduced the financial penalty the school faces. The NCAA's Committee on Infractions ruled last June that Purdue had violated rules on recruiting, extra benefits and ethical conduct. The appeal challenged the committee's conclusions concerning a $4,000 bank loan made to former Purdue player Luther Clay in August 1995 and financial assistance provided by Indianapolis businessman Gene McFadden to the mother of former Purdue player Porter Roberts. In each case, the committee said former assistant coach Frank Kendrick arranged the contacts between the students and the outside parties. Kendrick has since been reassigned to a university position outside the basketball program. The appeals committee Wednesday vacated one finding against Kendrick, saying evidence that the assistant coach arranged for the mother of a prospect to move to Indianapolis was not reliable. The appeals committee also modified the financial penalty to be assessed from Purdue's share of revenues from the 1996 Division I Men's Basketball Championship. NCAA spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said originally Purdue was fined 90 percent of the entire Big Ten distribution from participating in the tournament. She said the appeals committee ruled that the school should instead return 90 percent of its share after dividing the distribution with other Big Ten universities. Payouts from the tournament are disbursed over a six-year period. Jim Vruggink, spokesperson for Purdue's Athletic Department, said the original fine would have been about $800,000. The adjusted fine now stands at about $80,000, he said. Purdue athletic director Morgan Burke said he hopes the university can now move on and put the ordeal -- which started in the summer of 1996 -- behind it. "Purdue takes seriously its institutional responsibility to control its athletic programs within the rules, and the NCAA confirmed during these proceedings that we exercised that control," Burke said in a statement. Coach Gene Keady said he's glad the ruling won't reflect on any of the team's current or future players. "The biggest disappointment about the outcome is that we are asked to forfeit 24 games because of the participation of a former player who had minimal impact on our success in those games," Keady said in a statement.
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