The 2016 violation is just exceptionally boring.
The NCAA released a handful of infractions decisions dealing with the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday. The main consequence is that the athletic department will spend the next two years on NCAA probation. The organization’s biggest issues are with UO’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and the women’s track and field team.
Violations included staffers in multiple sports showing up at practices and voluntary workouts when they weren’t allowed. A suspension and show-cause were ordered.
Oregon’s football program is also included in the NCAA’s report. But the program isn’t being specifically punished, because the violation is so lame.
Like, the lamest. If you were expecting something salacious, you will be disappointed when you read it:
During fall 2016, the football program gained a recruiting advantage when it arranged for the use of personalized recruiting aids for 36 prospects during their campus visits. Specifically, the program created an electronic presentation that included each prospect’s name, statistics and a high school highlight video. Oregon displayed the presentation in the football equipment area during the prospects’ unofficial and official paid visits.
That’s a Level II violation. The NCAA classifies that as a “significant breach of conduct,” but it’s not punishing Oregon, likely in part because the Ducks self-reported their rule-breaking.
Under NCAA rules, a school “may produce a computer-generated recruiting presentation for a prospect, but the presentation may not be personalized to include the prospect’s name, picture or likeness.” Thus, Oregon’s presentations were a major no-no.
Rules like this, in theory, prevent schools with amazing video and graphics staffs from gaining a recruiting edge on more low-fi programs. The NCAA has a handful of rules that are designed to prevent schools from treating recruits like stars, and this one’s kind of like that.
The football program’s not totally off scot-free, as it’s part of an additive picture with the other sports that helped lead to the overall probation.
But the NCAA chose not to bring the hammer down on this violation in particular, which makes sense. Oregon’s gone through two head coaches since 2016. Mark Helfrich left, and Willie Taggart came and left, and now Mario Cristobal’s in charge.
The NCAA also found that staffers asked Oregon’s compliance chief if the presentations were OK, and that the chief incorrectly told them they were.
Truthfully, most NCAA violations are boring and aren’t part of big scandals.
This particular violation is firmly in the highest tier of boringness.