NCAA Responds to Oklahoma State Comments on Infractions Committee
The NCAA has issued a statement regarding comments made by Mike Boynton, Chad Weiberg and other Oklahoma State officials following the NCAA announcement last week it would be upholding the penalties levied against the program.
“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. 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.”
- John J. DeGioia, NCAA Board of Governors chair and president at Georgetown
- Jere Morehead, NCAA Division I Board of Directors chair and president at Georgia
- Mark Emmert, NCAA President
The NCAA announced on Nov. 3 it had denied Oklahoma State’s appeal process, which began in 2020. In doing so, OSU men’s basketball is banned from postseason play in 2021-22, including the Big 12 tournament, there’s a reduction of three scholarships over the next three years, as well as three years of probation.
"I recently noted that the time taken for a decision on our appeal was unfathomable," head coach Mike Boynton said during his press conference on Nov. 3. "So too was the outcome, not to mention incredibly unjust and unfair. I invite members of the NCAA enforcement staff, it's Committee on Infractions, and appeals panel involved in our case to meet with my team, to look each of them in their eyes and explain why illicit conduct committed by a rogue assistant coach five years ago – conduct which led to no competitive advantage for our program, and for which the coach was fired immediately upon discovery by our administration – should serve as a basis for denying them the opportunity to experience postseason tournament play. This is the greatest disappointment in my career as a head coach."