HAMPTON, Va.  ... The NCAA has published a Negotiated Resolution Agreement approved by the Division I Committee on Infractions.   The Negotiated Resolution process was used instead of a formal Hearing or Summary Disposition because the university and enforcement staff engaged in a collaborative investigation and ultimately agreed on the violations and the penalties.  The Division I Committee on Infractions reviewed the case and approved it, determining that the resolution was in the best interests of the Association and that the agreed-upon penalties were reasonable. 
 
The University and NCAA enforcement staff's investigation determined that 80 student-athletes in football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, men's lacrosse, women's tennis, volleyball, women's soccer and softball competed while they were academically ineligible due to unintentional errors in the University's academic certification process from the 2021-22 through 2023-24 academic years.  The unintentional errors occurred when the University was experiencing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including significant staffing turnover in key leadership positions involved in the academic certification process.   As operations began to return to normal and new University leadership was hired, these deficiencies were promptly identified, and immediate steps were taken to fill vacant positions.  In addition, the University made the strategic decision to invest in several new positions involved in the academic certification process, and it adopted a new best practices certification policy to ensure these kinds of unintentional errors do not occur again in the future. 
 
The case was classified as Level I, Mitigated, due to the University's prompt discovery and disclosure of the violations and collaboration throughout the investigation.  Specifically, the University was awarded several Mitigating Factors by the NCAA Enforcement Staff, thereby lowering its penalties for promptly identifying and disclosing the violations to the NCAA, affirmatively expediting the final resolution of the case, imposing meaningful corrective measures, and because it had no Level I or Level II violations within the last 10 years.   
 
The University and Enforcement Staff agreed upon the following penalties:
 

• Three years of probation;
• A fine of $30,000 plus one percent of the annual budget for the four sports programs with the highest percentage of student-athletes involved in the certification errors by comparison to the overall roster;
• Vacation of team and individual records for competitions in which ineligible student-athletes participated;
• Participation in an athletic academic certification program review and audit; and
• Various educational enhancements ensure staff members receive regular NCAA certification education.

 
Importantly, the University did not receive any further penalties such as a postseason ban, loss of scholarships, or any recruiting limitations, nor was it found to have lacked institutional control.  On the contrary, it was lauded for imposing significant corrective measures and installing a robust system of checks and balances to ensure similar issues do not occur again.