LANSING, Mich. (WILX) – The Michigan State University football team will vacate wins and be placed on three years of probation for recruiting violations during the Mel Tucker era.
MSU, the NCAA and the Division I Committee on Infractions (COI) reached a negotiated resolution associated with rules violations by former staff members within the MSU football program and “the school’s failure to monitor the football program.”
As a result of violations, the COI imposed the following penalties:
- Three years of probation
- A financial penalty of $30,000 plus 1.5% of the budget for the football program
- Restrictions on official visits, unofficial visits, recruiting communication, recruiting-person days and off-campus recruiting contacts and evaluations over the three-year probationary period
- Vacation of wins due to participation of three ineligible student-athletes
- Show-cause orders for former staff members
A spokesperson for MSU confirmed to News 10 that all 14 wins from the 2022-2024 seasons will be vacated, as players involved in the violations were still on the team.
While the NCAA’s report says Tucker was not involved in the recruiting violations, former football general manager/executive director of player personnel and recruiting Saeed Khalif and former assistant football coach Brandon Jordan, “knowingly provided impermissible recruiting inducements in connection with prospective student athletes’ unofficial visits.”
“Former head football coach Mel Tucker, who was not involved in the recruiting violations, contested his head coach responsibility violation, and his case was processed through a written record hearing,” the NCAA’s report said.
The NCAA’s report says between October 2021 and March 2023, Khalif, Jordan and other members of the football staff “offered and/or provided approximately $10,764 in impermissible recruiting inducements to six prospects who traveled to Michigan State for unofficial visits.”
Those inducements included payments for airfare and lodging for the prospects and other people who traveled with them, according to the NCAA.
Schools are not permitted to cover travel expenses for prospects or their traveling companions during unofficial visits.
Khalif also offered to pay for a prospect’s family vacation so that prospect “would not go on official visits to other schools,” according to the report. He also paid a prospect’s trainer $700 to attend a visit with the prospect.
In January 2022, according to the report, Khalif “knowingly arranged for and/or provided” approximately $3,075 in impermissible benefits in the form of one-way transportation to three football prospects to enroll at MSU — and round-trip airfare for their family.
“As a result of these impermissible recruiting benefits, the three prospects competed in 26 contests while ineligible after they enrolled at Michigan State,” the NCAA said. “Based on these violations, Michigan State agreed that it failed over the course of two academic years to adequately monitor the football program’s arrangement of unofficial visits to ensure compliance with NCAA recruiting legislation.”
President Kevin M. Guskiewicz and Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt, released the following joint statement:
“Today’s announcement brings closure to an NCAA investigation resulting from violations committed by a previous staff. Michigan State pursued a negotiated resolution to minimize the penalties and limit the possible impact on our current football student-athletes and staff, who were not involved in the violations. With this matter behind us, we are able to move forward, focusing on the present and future of Spartan football.”
“Michigan State athletics is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and operating in compliance with NCAA rules. Our compliance systems worked as intended. Once Michigan State became aware of a level 3 violation, we self-reported and followed all appropriate protocols. This prompt self-disclosure and acceptance of responsibility for the violations mitigated the case and penalties, even as new violations and corroborating evidence were uncovered during the subsequent investigation.
“While we accept the NCAA’s findings and respect the process, we are disappointed in the prescribed penalty related to the vacation of records. We understand that the enforcement process follows established guidelines, but we also recognize the opportunity for continued modernization.”
Separately from the negotiated agreement, the NCAA says Tucker “contested his responsibility for his program’s violations through a hearing on the written record.”
“The panel determined that he did not rebut the presumption of responsibility for the violations that occurred prior to Jan. 1, 2023, and is automatically responsible for the violations that took place after that date,” the NCAA said.
The panel noted that Tucker “followed an NFL model for his program, running all off-field operations through Khalif, his general manager.”
This is a developing story. Stay with News 10 for the latest updates as they become available.
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