NCAA probe of Rutgers football finds violations

The NCAA has informed Rutgers that an 18-month investigation into the department of athletics has found seven potential violations.

The NCAA issued a notice of allegations on Tuesday, stating that department had not been operating in full compliance with NCAA and university standards. The investigation and potential violations focused on former coach Kyle Flood, a studentathlete host/hostess program and inconsistencies in the administration of drug testing procedures and policies. Rutgers has 90 days to reply.

In a letter to the university community, Rutgers president Robert Barchi said the university has retained outside counsel and has cooperated fully with the NCAA enforcement staff.

Rutgers already has done some things to try to fix the problems, including firing Flood after the 2015 season.

The NCAA felt Flood violated its bylaws by having impermissible contact with a professor in an effort to help cornerback Nadir Barnwell improve a grade.

The NCAA also said a former assistant coach is accused of having improper offcampus recruiting contact with a prospective student athlete in 2014. The coach was also accused of unethical conduct for providing false or misleading information to the NCAA and the institution during the investigation.

Flood was suspended for three games and fined $50,000 after the university investigated allegations he tried to influence’s a player’s grade. Athletic director Julie Hermann was also fired in the wake of the controversy, replaced by Patrick Hobbs.