By Tyler Alley
Sports Editor
The NCAA has accepted Baylor’s self-imposed penalties and will not add further penalties for recruiting infractions involving impermissible telephone calls and text messages, the university announced Wednesday.
“We are pleased that the Committee has agreed with the University’s self-imposed sanctions to resolve this matter,” said director of athletics Ian McCaw said in a press release. “The University has made significant investments in compliance staffing and infrastructure both prior to and since the investigation began. Moreover, we have outstanding coaches who are committed to operating their programs with integrity.”
The case was resolved without a hearing, as the NCAA Enforcement Procedures utilized a summary disposition in which all parties — Baylor, involved individuals and NCAA Enforcement Staff — agree to the facts and submit a written report.
“We are grateful that this matter has been resolved, and that the NCAA Committee on Infractions has agreed to the facts of this case as reported in the joint summary disposition,” Baylor President Ken Starr said in the press release.
Men’s basketball head coach Scott Drew will be suspended for the first two conference games of the 2012-13 season, as the NCAA cited him for “failure to monitor.”
“As head coach, I take full responsibility for these mistakes and am disappointed that we have failed to uphold both the NCAA’s and Baylor’s expectations of documenting phone calls and recruiting communications,” Drew said in a statement.
Drew also said the procedures have been corrected thanks to a new software tracking system.
“Approximately 90 percent of the calls later deemed impermissible were either unlogged two-three minute voicemail messages left during a permissible calling period or calls to individuals who were parents or relatives of prospective student-athletes who were also non-scholastic (i.e. AAU) coaches to discuss a player other than their son or relative,” Drew said.
Former assistant men’s basketball coach Mark Morefield was given a one-year show-cause order for his role in the violations, meaning he will be prohibited from any recruiting activity. Morefield released a statement Wednesday apologizing to Baylor University and Baylor Nation.
Morefield committed a major violation when he attempted to influence two AAU coaches to furnish the NCAA with false and misleading information regarding a series of text messages. Morefield resigned in July 2011.
Men’s basketball also lost one scholarship this year and will lose one for next season. The coach will be reduced five official visits for next season and reduced 15 recruiting evaluation days.
Women’s basketball will also be reduced two scholarships for next season.
Head coach Kim Mulkey will not be able to participate in any off-campus recruiting in the month of July, which is the full summer recruiting period.
Assistant coach Damion McKinney will not be able to place any recruiting calls during a four-month period from January to April 2012. “I believe strongly in following NCAA rules and will always try to do so in the future,” Mulkey said. “I do nothing without permission from our Compliance Office and will continue to ask questions to assure that things are done right. Any compliance-related mistakes, even those that are secondary, are disappointing.”
Mulkey also said many of the mistakes were in sending text messages, which are prohibited by NCAA rule, and failure to accurately document their phone calls. She said the other matters involved her speaking to recruits or their parents while attending summer basketball games her daughter, Baylor sophomore Makenzie Robertson, participated in.
“While I am and will always be a mother first, I do recognize that there has to be a balance between my role as a mother of a prospect and my role as a head coach,” Mulkey said.
The investigation reviewed nearly 900,000 phone and text message records, and found that 738 texts and 528 calls were impermissible under NCAA rules.
