Colleges

Nicholls St. on 4 years probation for cheating

By Times wires, Times staff writers
Published May 11, 2005

The NCAA put Nicholls State on probation for four years because an academic adviser and assistant football coach did course work for dozens of athletes.

"We concur with the facts of the NCAA report and we accept the penalties as appropriate to the violations," university president Stephen Hulbert said.

The university's proposed penalties, including forfeiting football and basketball victories and cutting scholarships, were accepted, and the NCAA added a year to the suggested three-year probation.

The case involved 24 football players, a would-be player and two basketball players.

Florida State revised a few of its Academic Progress Rate numbers and, as expected, women's cross country fell below the 925 cut point with an 824. (FSU initially grouped cross country and track.)

Women's cross country had two transfers and two student-athletes who didn't return and didn't meet academic progress requirements. But since the latter pair had exhausted their eligibility, FSU wouldn't have faced any scholarship losses. The next APR, the report that will lead to penalties, comes out in early 2006.

FSU's baseball team improved slightly to 890 (from 881), soccer improved from to 978 from 967 and men's outdoor track fell slightly to 960 from 962.

- BRIAN LANDMAN, Times staff writer

Urban Meyer's appearance before the Pinellas County Gator Club is sold out. Meyer will speak to the club at the St. Petersburg Coliseum on May 24.

"We are not accepting any more reservations and there will be no walk-ups," club president Katie Zimmer said Tuesday evening.

About 1,080 Gator fans are expected to attend the function with the coach.

- ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times staff writer

GEORGIA: Defensive tackle Darrius Swain was sentenced to 45 days in jail for repeated driver's license violations and began serving the term immediately. He won't be suspended for any games.

MURRAY ST.: Coach Joe Pannunzio was reinstated after being put on paid administrative leave April 29 after the arrests of a player and former player on drug trafficking charges.

AUBURN: Guard Toney Douglas has declared for the NBA draft but is leaving the door open to return for his sophomore season. Douglas led the Tigers in scoring with 16.9 points as a freshman.

CINCINNATI: Freshman forward Roy Bright was kicked off the team after acknowledging he had a firearm on campus, and freshman guard Vincent Banks left the team for personal reasons. Bright was the Bearcats' top freshman last season, averaging 4 points and 3.7 rebounds, starting in five games.

INDIANA: A judge in Bloomington, Ind., ruled university trustees did not break the law when they met to hear plans to fire coach Bob Knight.

KENTUCKY: Freshman center Randolph Morris will declare himself eligible for the NBA draft but has not hired an agent, a Lexington television station reported. Morris would be the second Kentucky player this year to do so: Junior swingman Kelenna Azubuike said last month that he would enter the draft.

OHIO STATE: A judge has dismissed a lawsuit that led to the firing of coach Jim O'Brien and the ongoing NCAA investigation of the men's program. Kathleen Salyers claimed in the lawsuit that her former employers violated an oral agreement to pay her for caring for a player for four years. O'Brien was fired June 8 after admitting he gave $6,000 to Aleksandar Radojevic, a recruit who never played. The payment came to light in Salyers' lawsuit.

TAMPA: Outfielder Katie Bender and at-large selection Nicole Fenno, a Berkeley Prep grad, were named second-team All-Sunshine State Conference.

[Last modified May 11, 2005, 00:47:09]