DENVER -- Colorado was placed on two years' probation and
fined $100,000 by the NCAA on Thursday for inadvertently
undercharging 133 athletes for meals totaling $61,700 over six
academic years. The school also was ordered to cut one football
scholarship for the next three seasons.
The violations are considered "major," the infractions
committee said. The fine is to be paid to a hunger- or
homeless-relief charity.
The probation will not limit CU's television exposure or NCAA
tournament appearances, however.
Most of the infractions occurred in football (86) and women's
soccer (29), but also in women's volleyball (six), tennis (two) and
golf (one) and in men's basketball (nine).
"We knew the number of student-athletes for each sport as it
came forward. The team with the most student-athletes was football,
so they probably had the most (infractions)," Dee said.
Two of the violations found that some walk-on student-athletes
paid a dining hall meal-plan rate instead of the higher
training-table rate.
"Training table meals are approximately $14, $15," athletic
director Mike Bohn said. "Meals at the dining hall are about $7 or
$8."
Bohn said the university compliance officers regulate and
approve who gets what meals and when.
The nature of the infractions, because they were inadvertent and
promptly reported, gave the NCAA reason to limit the penalty, Dee
said.
The university proposed a self-imposed repayment of the
undercharged amount to the NCAA, but Dee said because the
infractions occurred over such a lengthy period of time -- from
2000-01 through the 2005-06 academic year -- and involved so many
student-athletes, the NCAA decided to fine the university $100,000.
Dee said the an associate athletic director at the university
discovered the discrepancy and promptly reported them.
"To their credit, the university finding the discrepancy and
bringing it to the attention of the enforcement staff" lightened
the penalty, Dee said.