FIU accepts NCAA penalties, has safeguards in place to prevent future infractions

Officials at Florida International University today accepted penalties handed down by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions. Most of the penalties matched those already self-imposed by the institution last year after the violations were discovered and reported to the NCAA by university officials. The university cooperated fully with the NCAA investigation and concurs with NCAA findings that the violations were not intentionally orchestrated for the purpose of gaining a competitive advantage. Evidence of this is that the violations were spread across several sports. “Upon discovering these violations, we put in place new compliance procedures that are much more suited to the university FIU has become in the last 10 years,” said FIU President Modesto A. Maidique. “We now have the level of staffing and the redundancies that will prevent these types of infractions from occurring again in the future.” A new certification process will be in place this fall that incorporates the lessons learned during a test period last year. The key elements include parallel efforts to verify all student-athlete academic records, i.e., there will be two individuals involved in each element of the certification process. In addition, the compliance staff, under new leadership, reports to the University General Counsel. New positions have been added to the compliance team and the entire staff now undergoes extensive training. “I am proud of the way we have responded to this challenge and vow to ensure that we emerge from this stronger,” said Maidique. “We are building a first-class athletic program where our student-athletes can excel, build character and pursue bright futures.”

—FIU—

Media Contact
Maydel Santana-Bravo, 305-348-1555 or santanam@fiu.edu