Ohio State Faces Failure To Monitor Charge

The NCAA has notified Ohio State University that it is facing a failure to monitor charge, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The university will cut five scholarships over a three-year period beginning next year as a result of the NCAA’s findings.

"Over the past three months, our athletics department staff has continued to work cooperatively with the NCAA to conclude our inquiry into the remaining items related to our football program," athletic director Gene Smith said today in a statement. "Throughout the entire process since we discovered possible infractions, the athletics department has consistently worked with the NCAA to investigate any allegation, take responsibility, self-report its findings to the NCAA in a transparent manner, and take necessary remediation steps."

The NCAA had informed Ohio State earlier this year that it was not being accused of a failure to monitor its football team, which has faced several violations over the past two years. According to the Columbus Dispatch, their decision to invoke the charge now means that the NCAA believes that the violations were a result of an overall institutional problem, as opposed to the infractions of a single violator.

Ohio State has indicated that their failure to monitor charge has stemmed from violations involving payments to players from boosters for work that was not actually done, and from instances where players accepted money for appearing at charity events. According to the university, the most recent charges from the NCAA do not stem from the now infamous memorabilia compensation scandal which ultimately led to the resignation of head coach Jim Tressel.