Syracuse has been invited to a hearing by the NCAA at the end of the month because of a multi-year inquiry into the athletic department.
The hearing is in front of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions and it signifies the lengthy investigations into the university are complete. It will serve as one of the final steps before finding out if the school has committed NCAA violations and will face punishments.
Emily James, a spokesperson for the NCAA, could not comment on possible cases. Syracuse is involved in at least one Level 1 or Level 2 violation. This means that Syracuse faces accusations of significant breach of conduct.
James would not provide what a possible punishment for Syracuse would be, but it would be resolved within 30 or 60 days of the hearing, unless the school appeals.
Jim Boeheim just walked away when he was asked about the hearing, and athletic director Daryl Gross declined to comment on the case also.
School presidents, athletic directors, compliance officials, and individuals named in allegations and lawyers for both the school and individuals were among the people invited to the hearing.
The NCAA started investigating the team in 2012 when former Syracuse basketball player Fab Melo was suspended for three games because of his academic record.
“After that, we were under the impression that he could appeal and do some academic work to get him eligible. He did that work. But then there arose a question about how he had gotten eligible, and he was declared ineligible again, right before the NCAA tournament. The issue is extremely complicated, and at any rate I can’t really go into it because it is part of an ongoing NCAA investigation,” said Boeheim at the time.
Melo was suspended in 2012 and teammate James Southerland was suspended briefly for academics during the 2013 season but returned to the team. Syracuse has restructured the athletic department’s academic servies department. They are responsible for keeping athletes academically eligible.
In March 2013, CBS Sports reported that the school had received an official letter of inquiry, which signifies the start of an investigation. It focused on the basketball program but also included the football program. NCAA investigators had already been looking into it for more than a year at that point.
Syracuse acknowledged in 2012 that it had self-reported possible violations of the school’s drug policy within the basketball program.
Fans will find out soon if Syracuse is going to have to face penalties or not for these actions. Jim Boeheim could be in for a crazy season if this affects him and his young team. Stay tuned for more details as they develop on this hearing.