After Oklahoma State publicly took issue with the NCAA’s recent decision to reject its appeal of a postseason ban for its men’s basketball program, the NCAA responded with a sharply worded statement on Thursday. In a response signed by NCAA president Mark Emmert, University of Georgia president Jere Morehead and Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia — two high-level officials within the NCAA — the governing body described Oklahoma State’s response as “unacceptable” and “unethical.”
The NCAA initially levied a postseason ban on the Cowboys’ men’s basketball program for the 2020-21 season due to former assistant coach Lamont Evans accepting between $18,150 and $22,000 in bribes from two financial advisers. That ban was pushed back pending appeal. Once the NCAA rejected Oklahoma State’s appeal, Cowboys coach Mike Boynton voiced his disagreement with the decision and mentioned multiple NCAA officials by name.
“Comments by Oklahoma State personnel regarding its infractions case resulted in NCAA volunteer committee members and staff receiving threatening and offensive messages after being identified by name,” the NCAA wrote in its statement. “This is unacceptable. Oklahoma State personnel encouraged individuals to circumvent the NCAA member-created process that every school agrees to participate in as part of their responsibility to each other.
“Further, there is a troubling trend of misstating facts about the infractions process by schools that disagree with the infractions outcomes. Each member has the ability to seek change to the Division I infractions process, and there is a review group underway looking at how to improve the process. This is also a clear example of the work that needs to be done to address issues and behaviors like this moving forward with the new NCAA Constitution and Division I Transformation process. We know that an adverse decision can be emotional, but personal attacks against individuals simply carrying out their responsibilities are inappropriate, unethical and potentially dangerous.”
Boynton, Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg and president Dr. Kayse Shrum all publicly ripped the NCAA for its decision.
“They slept well last night,” said Boynton, referring to the NCAA. “While I explained to 17 kids that their dreams of playing in the NCAA Tournament this year couldn’t be realized. It’s no wonder that nobody trusts them. It’s shameful. There’s no wonder that nobody trusts them. Because they get to hide behind letters.”
Shrum, in a statement, said the decision was “excessive and did not align with the facts.”
“I am very disappointed by the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee’s decision to uphold a one-year ban on postseason competition for our men’s basketball team this upcoming season,” Shrum’s statement read in part. “From the briefings I received on the matter when I became president of Oklahoma State, the ban was excessive and did not align with the facts. We were right to appeal and thought we would receive fair consideration. The NCAA’s inconsistent standards and applications of penalties are a reflection of a broken system.”
Dean Straka contributed to this report.
Curious? Tenacious? Have the Balls?