The NCAA says the University of Findlay improperly certified eligibility for 82 student-athletes in 11 sports over three academic years.

“The school and enforcement staff agreed that the violations occurred when the former director of compliance at the school — who felt overwhelmed by his responsibilities, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic and related virtual work conditions — did not complete required eligibility checklists or check for initial eligibility and amateurism certification, as required by NCAA rules. As a result, the school did not correctly certify 82 student-athletes across 11 sports. In total, 90 violations of NCAA rules occurred, and those student-athletes competed while ineligible in 136 contests and received actual/necessary expenses while ineligible or not properly certified,” the NCAA said.

The enforcement staff and the university agreed on the following penalties and corrective measures:

– Three years of probation.

– A $2,500 fine.

– A vacation of all records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible. The university must provide a written report containing the contests impacted to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 14 days of the public release of the decision.

When contacted for comment, the University of Findlay said it was referring inquiries to the official release from the NCAA.

The UF student newspaper The Pulse reported that University of Findlay President Dr. Katherine Fell stated that “once issues were identified, immediate action was taken to rectify lapses in the process and outline safeguards to prevent this oversight from happening again.”

The Pulse also reported that Dr. Fell expressed deep regret and took full responsibility for the penalties resulting from the infractions. “We sincerely apologize to the affected students and their athletic reputations,” Fell said.