Oregon hit with NCAA penalties

The NCAA stripped Oregon of a scholarship in each of the next three seasons and placed the program on probation for three years, opting against stiffer penalties like a bowl ban despite issuing a show-cause order against former coach Chip Kelly, who apologized to the school, its fans and it players.

The NCAA’s Division 1 Committee on Infractions released a report that said Kelly failed to monitor the program for its improper involvement with Willie Lyles and his recruiting service. Kelly was hit with an 18-month show-cause order, a sanction that will have limited impact now that he’s coaching the Philadelphia Eagles.

The program he left behind was stripped of scholarships, paid visits and evaluation days, but avoided some of the harsher penalties handed down to other programs in recent years.

“Now that the NCAA has concluded their investigation and penalized the University of Oregon and its football program, I want to apologize to the University of Oregon, all of its current and former players and their fans,” Kelly said in a statement.

The NCAA had been looking into Oregon’s program for more than two years after learning Oregon had paid $25,000 to Lyles and his recruiting service, Complete Scouting Services.