The former head coach of the Lewis men's and women's tennis teams provided impermissible benefits to three international tennis student-athletes over the course of two academic years and violated unethical conduct rules when he instructed one of the student-athletes to conceal those impermissible benefits, according to a decision released by the Division II Committee on Infractions. The committee also determined that the former head coach failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance and violated head coach responsibility rules.
The impermissible benefits violations first occurred when the scholarship for an incoming men's tennis student-athlete fell short of what the head coach anticipated. In an effort to make up for that shortfall — and secure the student's enrollment at Lewis — the head coach allowed the student-athlete to live rent-free at the head coach's residence for the spring 2019 semester, during which time the head coach also provided the student-athlete with free meals and transportation. The total value of the impermissible benefits was $3,840. The longtime head coach was aware that this arrangement violated NCAA rules and instructed the student-athlete to provide a false address to the school to conceal the violations.
Further impermissible benefits were provided by the tennis program to a women's tennis student-athlete, who stayed two nights cost-free in a hotel room with at least two men's tennis student-athletes during a men's tennis tournament. Additionally, the head coach also arranged for the women's tennis student-athlete to rent his wife's car at a discounted rate. Finally, the same women's tennis student-athlete and an additional men's tennis student-athlete were provided with cost-free housing at the head coach's residence, transportation and meals for at least one night during the Thanksgiving break.
As a result of the impermissible benefits, the three international tennis student-athletes competed in a combined 106 dates of competitions and received actual and necessary expenses while ineligible.
Because the head coach was directly involved in many of the violations that occurred in his program, the committee determined that he failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance and violated head coach responsibility rules.
Furthermore, the committee found that the head coach violated ethical conduct rules when he instructed the first student-athlete to conceal the violations from the university.
The committee prescribed the following penalties and corrective measures:
- Three years of probation.
- A $5,000 fine.
- A vacation of 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 decision release.
- A compliance audit conducted during the first year of probation by an outside agency that reviews amateurism and eligibility certification, financial aid administration and compliance education. The school shall implement and abide by recommendations made by the reviewer.
- A five-year show-cause order for the head tennis coach. During that period, any NCAA member school employing him must show cause why he should not have restrictions on athletically related activity.
- The compliance director must attend NCAA Regional Rules Seminars during each year of probation. The senior woman administrator and athletics director must also attend a Regional Rules Seminar during the first year of probation.
Members of the Committee on Infractions are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The committee members who reviewed this case are Jessica Chapin, athletics director at American International; David Hansburg, athletics director at Colorado School of Mines; John David Lackey, Division II Committee on Infractions chair and attorney in private practice; Richard Loosbrock, faculty athletics representative and history professor at Adams State; Melissa Reilly, senior woman administrator and associate commissioner at the East Coast Conference; Leslie Schuemann, senior woman administrator and deputy commissioner at the Great Midwest Athletic Conference; and Jason Sobolik, assistant athletics director for compliance and student services at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
