Grambling placed on two-year probation, must vacate 2011 football championship

The NCAA has placed Grambling State on two years probation for multiple infractions that include improperly certifying the eligibility of 45 student athletes in 11 sports and violations committed by the former head and assistant track and field coaches.

In a statement issued Friday by Grambling State University President Rick Gallot, the specific violations included:

• failing to properly certify 45 student-athletes in 11 sports, yielding 45 infractions in baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s track and field, women’s track and field, softball, women’s soccer, football, women’s volleyball, women’s tennis and women’s bowling.
• More specifically, we have to vacate the SWAC championship because ineligible football players competed in regular season SWAC and/or non-conference football games during the fall 2011 season and ineligible football players competed in the 2011 SWAC championship game.
• permitting 24 athletes in six sports to practice, compete and receive expenses without meeting amateurism certification requirements.
• having 21 athletes in eight sports improperly certified in meeting progress toward degree requirements.

Gallot said the university suggested some self-imposed sanctions to the NCAA, but the NCAA Infractions Committee felt those sanctions “were not sufficient”.

The penalties for Grambling include:

• A public reprimand and censure for the university.
• Two years of probation from July 28, 2017, through July 27, 2019.
• A $5,000 fine.
• A scholarship reduction in women’s track and field by one equivalency in the 2017-18 and 2017-19.
• A reduction in recruiting days by 15 days during the 2017-18 year (self-imposed by the university).
• Restrictions on the women’s track and field program, including reducing the number of recruiting days during the 2017-2018 academic year.
• Vacating a number of events and games in which ineligible athletes participated, and those same events and games must be vacated for the individual ineligible student-athletes, though the individual eligible student-athlete finishes and awards will be retained.