The NCAA has fined Stanford $5,000 and reprimanded the university as a
result of rules violations committed in 2014 in football and softball, the
university and the NCAA announced Thursday.
The
school said the NCAA had accepted undisclosed penalties that Stanford had
imposed on itself but also levied the additional penalties. The NCAA also
imposed a one-year “show-cause” penalty against former softball coach John Rittman, meaning that any NCAA school that hires him during that time must conduct compliance
education for the coach.
The
violations were originally reported by the school in 2014 and were reviewed by
the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions.
Although
Stanford said it had self-reported a number of minor violations to the NCAA in
recent years, the 2014 violations were considered Level II, or major,
infractions.
While
they appear minor in comparison with infractions by other programs around the
country in recent years, the violations were embarrassing to a normally squeaky
clean program that has won the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup for 22 straight
years as the top overall athletic program in the nation.
Former
Stanford wide receiver Devon Cajuste was reported by the university to have received impermissible
benefits from a summer landlord. The benefits, which the school said were
valued at under $400, included restaurant meals with the landlord’s family,
movie tickets with the family and the use of a local vacation home, the school
said.
However,
the NCAA said two boosters provided nearly $3,500 in benefits to the player,
including an impermissible loan, free use of an automobile, meals and other
extra benefits.
In
a statement, athletic director Bernard Muir said, “Over the years, we have instituted a robust
rules-education program, created a culture of compliance and demanded vigorous
self-reporting to the NCAA of any potential lapses.” He said the university
“has taken corrective actions to ensure that they are not repeated.”
Cajuste
was suspended for the Cardinal’s 2014 season opener against UC Davis, although
neither head coach David Shaw nor Cajuste would say at the time what the suspension was for.
He was reinstated after he donated the value of the impermissible benefits to
charity, the school said.
Stanford
student-athletes had lived with local homeowners during the summer for decades.
In 2007, the football program set up a process to connect athletes with local
residents for summer rental housing. After the Cajuste case, however, the
university prohibited student-athletes from renting local housing during the
summer; they are now housed on campus.
In
a statement, Cajuste said he “unknowingly” accepted the impermissible benefits.
“I look forward to moving on from this incident and to supporting my alma mater
for many years to come,” he said.
Cajuste
caught 90 passes for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns in his four-year career at
Stanford. He signed with the 49ers this year as an undrafted free agent. After
the 49ers let him go, he was signed by Green Bay and added to its practice
squad as a tight end.
The
university acknowledged for the first time that Rittman was asked to resign in
2014 because of NCAA rules violations. It said Rittman “disregarded NCAA limits
on the number of hours that student-athletes could participate in sport-related
activities.”
According
to the NCAA, Stanford “did not take action to immediately address a deficiency
in the compliance system when it was identified in an internal audit.”
Under
Rittman, Stanford reached postseason play 16 straight times. Rittman, an
assistant coach with the U.S. national softball team, could not be reached for
comment.
Stanford
said it imposed a penalty of “significant” limitations on softball practice
hours under the new coach, Rachel Hanson. The Cardinal have won
just two of 48 Pac-12 games over the past two seasons under Hanson.
Source: Tom FitzGerald
