Tom Osborne comes clean with school's textbook violation
What happens when a school attempts to aid student-athletes by providing some additional textbooks and school supplies–a self-imposed two-year probation. Nebraska announced yesterday that it inadvertently distributed to student-athletes nearly $28,000 worth of textbooks and other school supplies from 2007-10.
According to NCAA rules, a school is allowed to cover course textbooks, but nothing else. This means when the school provided professor recommended books, secondary sources, and various school supplies, it violated NCAA rules.
After an internal investigation, Nebraska’s compliance department found 238 incidents in which the school failed to monitor the processing of the additional supplies. The compliance department released a statement saying, “”no intentional wrongdoing, no monetary reward and no competitive advantage was gained on any part of the student-athletes involved.”
After the discovery, the school laid out a plan to recover from the student-athletes the $27,869.47 in extra benefits. The money collected will ultimately be distributed to charities.
Though the NCAA is expected to render its opinion later this year, the school shouldn’t have too much to worry, but should remain alert with the self-imposed two-year probation. This sort of violation was not a books-for-cash scandal or anything of the sort. It was a simple failure to monitor. The situation is more embarrassing than harmful.
Frankly, if student-athletes want professor recommended books or need extra supplies, I don’t see a problem with that. After all, they are in school to learn.
