Article: UT Self Reports To SEC

[orange+white=heaven]

from the morning paper...

tfpOnline

Tennessee has asked the Southeastern Conference to immediately reinstate football signee Nevin McKenzie, who was declared ineligible by the school this week due to a minor NCAA rules violation.

Compliance director Brad Bertani submitted a report Monday to the NCAA and SEC commissioner Mike Slive saying UT coaches violated NCAA bylaw 13.6.7 by paying hotel and meal costs for McKenzie’s sister during his Jan. 10-12 official visit to campus.

UT assistant coach Trooper Taylor said McKenzie’s sister told him she was her brother’s “legal guardian” and was financially responsible for him the past few years while his mother was incarcerated, the report said. As a result, Volunteers coaches paid her hotel and meals during the visit.

A junior college safety from Texas, McKenzie committed to UT soon after his visit, signed in February and plans to join the Vols next season. He and his sister were not aware the payments accepted were against NCAA rules, according to the report. This violation isn’t likely to affect McKenzie’s eligibility, assuming his family donates the $188.17 cost for two nights lodging and meals to charity.

The incident was investigated by UT after the SEC office received a report and notified the school. All UT coaches must now receive legal documentation of guardian status prior to paying expenses.

“The institution believes that this violation was isolated and inadvertent,” Bertani wrote, “and is confident that it has taken the necessary steps to avoid similar violations in the future.”

In a similar situation, former Baylor School standout Jacques McClendon was briefly ruled ineligible last spring for accepting a pair of courtside UT women’s basketball tickets from a booster whose son was a school friend of McClendon’s.

UT self-reported McClendon’s violation and asked his family to repay the cost of the tickets. In three weeks, McClendon was formally reinstated by the SEC and NCAA and played during his freshman season.

This is the second reported violation in the past year involving Taylor. The Vols receivers coach was reprimanded by the athletics department in August for accepting roughly $3,000 for attending an offseason gathering at the Memphis home of UT trustee Karl Schledwitz.

[rexvol]

no big deal, sounds like an honest mistake

[orange+white=heaven]

yep.

[orange+white=heaven]

Wouldn't mind knowing more about this though...

The incident was investigated by UT after the SEC office received a report and notified the school. All UT coaches must now receive legal documentation of guardian status prior to paying expenses.

[Lexvol]

Makes you wonder doesn't it? Especially considering the level of detail, and the knowledge base that would require. If someone else could pick up on that and report it, why couldn't we filter that info initially?

[kcvols1]

Maybe the kid at the front desk was a Bammer.

This is total chicken shizzle.

Kudos to Compliance for reporting it, though.

[oklavol]

nonevent

[orange+white=heaven]

Originally Posted by oklavol

nonevent

But now you can go through the rest of your day secure in the knowledge that you are up to date on all the day's nonevents....

[lawgator1]

Truly de minimis. Methinks nonetheless that it might be a good idea to make Trooper Taylor sit down and read the rule book cover to cover a couple of times.

[VolinArizona]

Originally Posted by lawgator1

Truly de minimis. Methinks nonetheless that it might be a good idea to make Trooper Taylor sit down and read the rule book cover to cover a couple of times.

Urban should, too.

[lawgator1]

Originally Posted by VolinArizona

Urban should, too.

Has he been reported or needed to self-report? Because he is clever enough to use text messaging?

Oh, the horror.

[justingroves]

Originally Posted by VolinArizona

Urban should, too.

Don't say that. LG gets has panties in a wad when someone accuses Urban of dirty recruiting.

[lawgator1]

Originally Posted by justingroves

Don't say that. LG gets has panties in a wad when someone accuses Urban of dirty recruiting.

No, I get unhappy when people intimate that he has been reported or deserves to be reported and then cower behind their "No Facts To Back It Up" deskplate.

[justingroves]

Originally Posted by justingroves

Don't say that. LG gets has panties in a wad when someone accuses Urban of dirty recruiting.

Originally Posted by lawgator1

No, I get unhappy when people intimate that he has been reported or deserves to be reported and then cower behind their "No Facts To Back It Up" deskplate.

See?

[lawgator1]

Originally Posted by justingroves

See?

Actually, no.