Questions surrounding Oregon’s business relationship with Complete Scouting Services owner Willie Lyles have laid dormant for several months. Perhaps answers to those questions will be addressed in the near future.
In the meantime, the NCAA and Oregon have come to a mutual conclusion on one thing: NCAA recruiting violations were committed by the school.
Oregon’s athletic department released heavily-redacted documents Friday to local media that stated the football program did not conform to NCAA recruiting regulations over the past four years. The NCAA submitted a “proposed findings of violations” in which the Ducks acknowledged they had used at least three scouting services from 2008-11, and paying $45,245 in the process, that did not comply with NCAA legislation. UO also agreed to exceeding the permissible number of coaches involved in recruiting by one between 2009 and 2011.
HERE is a copy of those drafts sent from the NCAA to UO. As you can see, half of the information is missing. Additionally, here’s a statement from UO athletic director Rob Mullens.
But perhaps the most damaging of the proposed findings is the NCAA and UO “agreed that from 2008 through 2011, the scope and nature of the violations ... demonstrate that the athletics department failed to adequately monitor the football program’s use of recruiting or scouting services.”
It should be noted that the proposed findings aren’t the same as a Notice of Allegations -- the school stated it had not received that as of Friday afternoon -- and this is all very preliminary; nothing in the way of “punishment” has been addressed.
Oregon received a Notice of Inquiry from the NCAA in September to notify the start of the formal investigation into the program after questions were raised about the school’s business dealings with Lyles. Lyles has claimed, among other things, that the school paid him $25,000 for his influence with recruits.
(Hat tip: Eugene Register-Guard)