Proposal: No postseason ban for schools that help inquiries

Schools facing NCAA infractions cases could ensure they avoid postseason bans if they show “exemplary cooperation” with investigators under a proposal before the NCAA Division I Council.

The NCAA announced Thursday the proposal would define “exemplary cooperation” more clearly while establishing its impact on possible penalties. The NCAA said that impact would include removing a postseason ban from the table for the majority of schools. The policy would take effect Aug. 1 if the council approves it in June.

The NCAA infractions process has become particularly confrontational in recent years. Two years ago, then-NCAA President Mark Emmert said investigations into several basketball programs were taking “way too long” under a protocol set up to handle complex cases through the Independent Accountability Review Panel, which since has been shelved.

Earlier this year, University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman ripped the association for investigating the school for potential recruiting violations related to NIL deals struck between athletes and a booster-backed organization; soon after, the attorneys general of Tennessee and Virginia won a court order to put NCAA NIL regulations on hold.

If the infractions committee decides a school or party has demonstrated exemplary cooperation, the panel would reduce the case by one classification level. That would in turn reduce the potential penalty.

For all cases in which a school or party that isn’t a repeat violator shows exemplary cooperation, the panel wouldn’t hand out a postseason ban.