NCAA Finds Violations in Minnesota’s women’s basketball and wrestling programs

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Associated Press ()
01/20/2002


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA has found violations in the women's basketball and wrestling programs at Minnesota.     The governing body said violations by former coach Cheryl Littlejohn could result in the women's basketball program being shut down for up to two years. The evidence mirrors the findings of the school's investigation last year.     In another investigation, the school found six minor violations in its wrestling program since 1999 and improper use of university resources by coach J Robinson.     In a report sent to university president Mark Yudof this week, the NCAA warned that the women's basketball violations, along with the academic fraud in men's basketball under Clem Haskins, could subject the university to penalties under the "repeat violator rule."     University general counsel Mark Rotenberg told the Star Tribune the penalties that apply for repeat violators shouldn't apply in the Littlejohn case. The university reported major violations last spring. They shouldn't be considered repeat violations, he said, because they occurred before Oct. 24, 2000 - when the NCAA placed the university on probation in the fallout involving Haskins.     Calls by The Associated Press to Rotenberg's office were not immediately returned.     NCAA bylaws state that penalties could include the banning of women's basketball games for up to two seasons and the elimination of some scholarships and recruiting activities.     In its report, the panel alleged a "lack of appropriate institutional control" over the women's basketball program for nearly three years during Littlejohn's stay. She was fired last May and now coaches at Chicago State.     Littlejohn was accused of paying former player Natea Motley between $200 and $300, interfering with the university's investigation into alleged NCAA violations and making players practice outside NCAA-approved times.     Women's athletic director Chris Voelz told the AP she was pleased the NCAA didn't find any violations other than those already discovered by the school.     The violations in the wrestling program concern summer camp employment of wrestlers, publicity of a recruit that hadn't filed his letter of intent, recruiting visits and eligibility matters.