The NCAA handed down its punishment to Southern Methodist University today in the form of a post-season ban and scholarship reductions, as well as a hefty 9-game suspension for head coach Larry Brown for a “lack of head coach control”. SMU had been under investigation for over 8 months for suspected academic fraud and unethical conduct stemming from an allegation that online courses were used to maintain eligibility for basketball players and that an administrative assistant completed coursework for student athletes.
While SMU has 15 days to appeal the NCAA’s decision, the announcement of the sanctions against SMU serve as proof that alleged misconduct relating to academics and athletic eligibility aren’t school-specific. North Carolina faces vaguely similar allegations of academic misconduct in an ongoing case that’s currently awaiting a school response to the NCAA’s notice of allegations delivered last month, and though UNC’s reputation has taken a hit, take this story as a reminder that these types of scandals to truly occur everywhere, regardless of how badly rival fans want to make this about the Tar Heels.
Larry Brown previously served as head coach at Kansas University and UCLA in the college ranks, as well as several NBA teams over the past 20 years. SportsChannel8 was unable to obtain information regarding Larry Brown prior to 1968.
