NCAA Looks Into Bama - Again

This from al.com today...

TUSCALOOSA -- The University of Alabama could face additional penalties from the NCAA in regards to the textbook investigation that sidelined five UA football players for four games during the 2007 season.

Representatives from the university met Feb. 20 with the NCAA Committee on Infractions to answer a notice of allegations regarding potential "major" violations. The NCAA has yet to respond with any additional punishment that could be weighed against UA in the matter.

The NCAA sent UA a notice of inquiry in Nov. 2007. A notice of possible "major" violations was issued in May 2008, per documents associated with the case. 

The school's self-initiated investigation involved sports programs in addition to football, sources have said. UA sports programs, including football, face a potential loss of scholarships if the NCAA decides the school's corrective actions were not sufficient.

UA's official acknowledgment of the NCAA investigation was in response to multiple open records requests by the Press-Register and other news outlets. during the past 16 months. A statement from UA this morning stated that, "The University's appearance before the committee is part of the NCAA's normal investigative and review process."

"Compliance with NCAA and SEC rules is of the utmost importance to The University of Alabama and our Athletics Department, and I am pleased with the way our compliance officers handled this situation," UA president Robert Witt said in a statement today. "UA works diligently to ensure that integrity and a commitment to excellence are the hallmarks of our athletics program, and we appreciate the support we received from Commissioner (Mike) Slive and the SEC, and officials at the NCAA.

"The investigation began, per UA documents, when a UA Supply Store employee noticed questionable textbook charges in excess of $1,600 for scholarship student-athletes and reported the matter. UA's compliance staff later confirmed that student-athletes had "impermissible textbook charges in excess of $1,300 and $1,500 for the fall 2007 semester."

Football players Antoine Caldwell, Glen Coffee, Marlon Davis, Marquis Johnson and Chris Rogers were suspended four games during the 2007 season.

The players were later reinstated by the NCAA for the regular season finale against Auburn and the Independence Bowl against Colorado.

"Our compliance department and the administration, when that happened and we discovered that, I've never seen a response to a problem that aggressive in resolving it," UA athletics director Mal Moore said this past summer. "We kept the NCAA abreast of everything that has been done."

"The University discovered the violations, investigated them promptly and in detail, and immediately took corrective action to fix its textbook distribution system,"UA's statement said.