Recruiting violations to keep Brown from title

The Brown football team's quest to defend its Ivy title this year ended before the season even began. The Ivy League Council and NCAA discovered that staff members and alumni from the athletic department violated recruiting regulations by awarding a small number of Brown athletes scholarship money from outside sources. Because of these violations, Brown's football team will not be eligible to win the Ivy League Championship this year. Although it will be allowed to compete in league play, the second place team would be declared Ivy Champion if Brown finishes the season in first.

Earlier this summer, when Brown University caught wind of the infractions, they imposed minor sanctions on their own football, women's volleyball, men's soccer and basketball teams, as well as on several coaches involved in the scandal. The NCAA conducted its own investigation into the matter and decided to absolve all the athletes involved. No individual student-athletes were punished.

SARAH ENGLAND/YH

However, when the Ivy Group of Presidents met in July, they ruled that Brown's self-imposed sanctions were too lenient and decided to bar the defending football champions from competing for the championship. They also imposed other major restrictions on Brown's future recruiting practices. These added restrictions include a cut in the school's recruiting class by five members during the 2001 and 2002 school years; a 25 percent cut in paid recruiting visits by coaches of the women's volleyball, men's soccer, and men's basketball teams; and the indefinite suspension of David Zucconi, the Executive Director of the Brown Sports Federation (BSF), from any contact with student-athletes. In addition, football coaches must participate in NCAA and Ivy League rules education, clear any future financial awards with the financial aid office, and take the required NCAA exam closed-book. Furthermore, the Executive Director of the BSF must submit monthly progress reports to senior administrators. Interim University President Sheila Blumstein attended the Ivy Group meeting and discussed the matter for two and a half hours with the council, issuing a statement on behalf of the university. In response to the harsh sanctions, Blumstein told the Brown Daily Herald, "We're disappointed by the severity of the ruling. We think students should have the opportunity to defend the Ivy League championship." In order to prevent any future breaches, Blum-stein appointed a committee to examine the BSF and determine appropriate measures to match "its mission not only with athletics but also with the University more broadly."

Although athletic scholarships are a common practice, the NCAA strictly regulates these awards and considers any supplemental grant not available to non-athletes equivalent to athletic scholarships. In a 1945 agreement, the Ivy Group of Presidents prohibited the awarding of these scholarships in order to maintain a "level playing field." According to the pact, each Ivy League university shares a common practice in academic standards, eligibility requirements, and financial aid awards for athletes. The Brown athletic staff breached this pact when coaches from the various teams contacted outside sources for financial awards. Other coaches went as far as making "under-the-table" deals with recruits, promising packages beyond the standard financial need demonstrated by the student. Other Brown alumni, including David Zucconi, made inappropriate suggestions to the recruiting class, offering the athletes contacts and bonus financial awards.

Brown's athletic program has been a dominant force in Ivy League competition for the past two years. Unfortunately for the athletic department, the scandal comes at a particularly inauspicious time, when many of its programs are at the top of their respective games. The sanctions will deal a significant blow to the morale of the athletes, especially the football players, and the setback in recruiting ability will hinder the athletic department's hopes of recruiting the best student athletes in the years to come.

The football team was leading the athletic resurgence at Brown: last year the Bears racked up an impressive 9-1 record (6-1 Ivy League) along with the 1999 Ivy League Championship, which it shared with Yale. During the '99 season, the Bears outscored their opponents 324 to 239 and outmatched their opponents in every major statistical category.

Yale's football coach Jack Siedlecki maintained that the Ivy Presidents' ruling was fair. "I think it is a tough punishment, [but one] that adheres to the principles of the Ivy League," he said.

Yet, on the football field, very little will be different. With many of their starters returning, including all-Ivy wide receiver Stephen Campbell, the Bears are still predicted by many to finish at the top of the league. Yale's road to the championship may now be easier—but Brown will still be Brown, their games will count on Yale's schedule, and the Bulldogs will have to be at the top of their game as they strive to prove that they are the best in the league.

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