BOISE -- A NCAA appeals committee has found a scholarship penalty leveled against Boise State University in 2011 for recruiting violations was likely excessive, and has recommended the penalty be reconsidered by top officials.
You can read the full release here.
In 2011, the NCAA imposed a combination of penalties for recruiting, and other violations it alleged happened over a period of five-years.
In response, BSU appealed two of those penalties: a restriction on spring football practices, and the number of scholarships it would be able to offer athletes.
The first penalty effectively reduced BSU's spring football practices from a total of 12 to 9 for a consecutive three years. On Friday, the NCAA appeals committee announced that it would uphold that ruling.
However, the second penalty imposed by NCAA will be sent back for reconsideration. That penalty has currently reduced BSU's football scholarships from 85 to 82, and is set to be in effect for three straight years.
BSU officials originally protested both rulings, saying they'd already self-imposed the scholarship and spring practice reductions when officials began investigating the violations. BSU athletics staff then appealed the ruling, saying they felt the three consecutive years of scholarship reductions were heavy-handed.
On Friday, the NCAA I Infractions Appeals Committee announced that it had found the scholarship penalties "excessive," and would send a recommendation to the main NCAA infractions committee to have them reconsidered.
BSU Communications Director Frank Zang said the committee on infractions has not yet given BSU a timeline, or said when they expect to release their findings.
