Nowadays, it seems as if college football programs are about as corrupt as the mafia.The same can often be said of men's basketball programs.
On Thursday, Georgia Tech got to add its name to the NCAA's most wanted list. The NCAA Committee on Infractions placed the school on four years' probation, reports ESPN.
The committee also took away the Yellow Jackets' 2009 ACC title and decided to place limits on men's basketball scholarships. For the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons, Georgia Tech will only be allowed 10 official recruiting visits for men's basketball, and the program must also pay a $100,000 fine.
"According to the committee, the university's failure to cooperate and meet the obligations of membership compounded the seriousness of the case by adding onto what was originally an isolated instance of impermissible benefits and preferential treatment," the NCAA said in a prepared statement.
Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who now plays for the Denver Broncos, allegedly accepted $312 worth of clothing, a clear violation of NCAA policy, but he was still allowed to play the rest of the 2009 season, which included the ACC title game as well as a BCS bowl game.
"It appeared to the committee that the institution attempted to manipulate the information surrounding potential violations involving [the student-athlete] so there would be enough doubt about its validity to justify the decision not to declare him ineligible," the Committee on Infractions said.
The probationary period, effective starting Thursday, will run until July 13, 2015.
