NCAA Bans SMU Golf, Defending Indy Champ From Postseason

As far as NCAA golf scandals go, this one is as big as it gets. And because the primary people punished are student-athletes who did nothing wrong, including the defending NCAA individual champion and the closest thing college golf has to a star, I suspect this story will not go away.

Brentley Romine at Golfweek.com with the full details of the NCAA report, that also penalized SMU basketball coach Larry Brown.

Between Dec. 6, 2012, and Oct. 23, 2013, the former head men's golf coach and an assistant golf coach engaged in 64 impermissible recruiting contacts with 10 men's golf prospects and seven parents of men's golf prospects, according to the NCAA report.

The NCAA did not name the individuals in the report. Josh Gregory was the head coach at SMU from June 2011 until he resigned on Aug. 8, 2014. Jason Enloe, Gregory's assistant at SMU, is the Mustangs' current head coach.

Gregory will not be able to seek employment at an NCAA member school until 2019.

GolfChannel.com's Ryan Lavner has this from Gregory, who is understandably miffed at the punishment levied against the current players, including current U.S. Amateur champion and defending NCAA individual winner Bryson DeChambeau.

It’s a crushing blow for SMU’s program, which has risen to national prominence in recent years. Two years ago, Gregory helped lead his alma mater to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time, and last year DeChambeau became the first NCAA champion in school history.

“I’m embarrassed about what happened,” said Gregory, who resigned in August 2014. “I feel terrible for the kids – those are the ones I feel worst about. It just makes no sense whatsoever. Throw the book at me and give all the penalties to me, but the kids are the ones who suffer. It’s simply garbage.”

Unless the current players received some sort of extraordinary gifts bordering on bribes, it's hard to fathom how the punishment fits the crime.

This is also a bit of a blow to college golf's ability to gain traction under the glare of the television spotlight that would have enjoyed--had he qualified--having DeChambeau to put forward as a star attraction in next springs NCAA finals.

DeChambeau will still enjoy Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship exemptions if he remains an amateur.

The full NCAA press release detailing some of the charges of recruiting violations is posted here.

Comments

[ol Harv]

Hopefully Gregory never gets hired by another program. DeChambeau may be able to transfer to another school for the spring season but honestly, from what I've seen in the past, it's hard for these guys who have an invite to the Masters to concentrate on college tournaments when they have Augusta on their mind. If I was DeChambeau I think I would consider walking away from SMU, move to Augusta and play there as many times as they let him in preparation. What a shame.

[PABoy]

Ok now I retract my request for The Masters to extend an invitation to the current NCAA champion. Also if current players were involved they should be punished. I know taking away post season play is important for Men's Basketball and Football but there is no revenue here, do it with scholarships. NCAA just does not want to admit money matters most with those sports.

[Bud]

It ain't over. Here come the judge!

New England Patriots can recommend a good lawyer.

[V60]

The NCAA is full of crap about everything. They have no idea how to "punish" anyone. They have no interest in the student athlete only their salaries and the 501 c tax status and their over 500 million in assets. ITS ONE BIG JOKE being played on the US public. They need to be sued out of existence.

[Neil Young & Geraldo]

I just don't get why we still need the NCAA. Its outdated and wrong and needs to go away.

[KLG]

For the young Shackelfordians out there, the Mustangs have been down this road before:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Methodist_University_football_scandal

[mydgolf]

NCAA sux....would not happen at Kentucky, duke or any TV revenue producing school....
I saw it first hand here with BB and UGA....no reason for them...

[Johnnnycz]

More red tape bureaucratic issues. I understand why they have certain rules...but the NCAA rule book is getting out of hand ffs.

In these days of instant global communication...the NCAA has got to adapt at least a little bit.

Heck...I had to write a check (and send a copy of it to NCAA) when a member/booster at my home college course bought me lunch after I got the best of him in a 2/2/4 Nassau. This was almost 20yrs ago.

[BrianS]

Not sure I care to hear the whining from the Coach whose fault it is (100%) for breaking the rules how unfair the punishment is. it is his fault, look in the mirror.

[PG]

I think he should do the opposite of Ollie Schniederjans and turn pro following the US Open

[PG]

Another example of post-Tiger amateur champ jinx (Only Spieth, McIlroy, and Immelman have won majors among standouts)

[Johnnnycz]

@V60: shhhh. The truth isn't supposed to become public info.

[Jeremy Rudock]

And yet the University of North Carolina STILL remains unpunished for running sham academic classes and having tutors do homework for players for years.

[A]

@jeremy, you are absolutely correct! How UNC is able to get away with all there cheating is beyond anyone's comprehension.

[KS]

Bryson needs to take a page from Mr. Woods and exit stage-left from anything to do with those parasites. Remember the "improper" dinner with Arnold and Tiger where Arnold, God forbid, paid for dinner for a college kid? Tiger decided to turn pro roughly ten seconds after those clowns at the NCAA raised a stink about that.

[mark]

I wonder how some of these teams that dont have good courses at there school, like Minnesota, can get be allowed to play for free at all the other nice courses for try outs and practice. I guess the NCAA just overlooks courses helping out the teams with free tee times. Wasnt there a big stink about Clubs and Bags a while back.

[so]

NCAA = Masters of Exploitation

[Convert]

Any NCAA always punishes "student-athletes who did nothing wrong" when they ding any program for any violation. Always.

[Evan Pur]

V60 is spot on the NCAA is a joke.....just try reading the NCAA Rules and Regulations Handbook...you need legal counsel to interpret the rules. There is a reason why the Coaches Test is open book.
Coaches don't coach anymore....Coaches are now mini Compliant Officers of the NCAA & Universities.
The hours allowed for student athletes is no more than 20 hours per week....for golf 3 hours is one round/18holes per NCAA. On a 36 hole day or 2 rounds of golf only 6 hours used toward countable hours and the following day is another round or 3 hours.....9 hours for 54 holes in College Golf, not to mention the practice round before the tournament......The Cara Logs are a joke....Universities and the NCAA use these logs to fire and hire coaches at will.....Official visits are even worse compliance wise.

Yes I hope the NCAA is sued out of business.....

[Pro from Dover]

The NCAA is out of touch, out of control, and out of their mind!

Time for the 5-6 power conferences to break away from the NCAA and begin their own organization. There are too many issues that are wrong with he NCAA to even begin listing them.

A lot of posts here we agree with. Exploitation of the student athlete is a fact.

[PG]

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/annika-intercollegiate-final-results/ http://www.golfchannel.com/media?guid=e0iE_a2JZYMv9Pd1JxDCDSUNbu27iVPw

[PA PLAYA]

For those interested, google "Kelvin Sampson." Here we have the President of the National Association of Basketball Coaches who helped charter an Ethics Committee in that very organization, only to have that same organization levy sanctions against him for NCAA Ethics violations while serving as head coach for both Oklahoma and Indiana. The program at Oklahoma was placed under an NCAA investigation for 3 years, and Indiana was issued a 3-year probation, leaving the program in utter ruin. Where is he today? He's the head coach at the University of Houston.

Larry Brown? This is the third time that he's been investigated by the NCAA.. All three times, the programs he coached were punished for recruiting violations or academic noncompliance. In an interview given earlier this week, Brown insisted that he has nothing to be ashamed of, nor does he have any intentions of resigning.

He shouldn't be asked to resign, he should be fired and never allowed to taint another college program ever again.

[mydgolf]

PA PLAYA, being investigated and being sanctioned are two different things. These coaches are good guys and they are no different than those who are uncaught. As Calipari said in relation to these types of things. Coaches don't win championships. Institutions do. If an institution wants a coach clean and is behind him then he stays clean unless it was blatant. NCAA SUX... You think perhaps the institution or the booster club had tired of the 2 million salary for a golf coach....you just never know...

[PABoy]

From watching him play, I am sure Bryson DeSchambeau will take his time making his descision on how to proceed.

[CarolinaHoo]

It's very likely that some of the recruits that the SMU coach impermissibly contacted are on the team now and might not be on that team but for the recruiting violations. So I don't have much sympathy for them. I am inclined to say that players, in any sport, should be allowed to freely leave the sanctioned school and have immediate eligibility at another school, if that's what they want to do.

[Randall]

Josh is a stand up guy and good coach.