ATLANTA,None — Georgia Tech has been stripped of its 2009 ACC Conference Championship after an NCAA investigation found student-athletes and staff violated several rules then refused to cooperate with investigators.
A committee found that a friend of an employee of an Atlanta sports agency provided a Tech football player with several items of clothing valued at $312.
Sources tell Channel 2 Sports Director Zach Klein the infractions have to do with, in part, football stars Bay Bay Thomas and Morgan Burnett. Burnett sent Klein a text saying, "I did not knowingly or unknowingly receive any gifts from any agents during my time at Georgia Tech. These reports are baseless and False."
READ: NCAA Ruling On Georgia Tech
The committee found that Tech officials interviewed the player about the clothing before NCAA agents could conduct their own interview and school officials informed the athlete what he would be questioned about, violating procedure. The NCAA had informed Georgia Techs compliance officer that the clothing issue could only be discussed with the school president and athletics director.
Paul Parker, Georgia Techs director of compliance, and assistant director of compliance Katreshia Louis-Verrett have both left the school in the last four months, Klein has learned.
During the investigation, Tech officials were told the student who received the clothing may have jeopardized his eligibility for games on Nov. 28, and Dec. 5, 2009 games against the University of Georgia and the ACC championship game against Clemson, but the athlete was allowed to play.
It appeared to the committee that the institution attempted to manipulate the information surrounding potential violations involving student-athlete 1 so there would be enough doubt about its validity to justify the decision not to declare him ineligible. Student athlete 1 was a very talented member of the football team. He was an NFL prospect and a key contributor to his teams success at his position, the report said.
Tech also received additional infractions for basketball tryouts that violated NCAA rules by evaluating a prospective student at a non-scholastic event. The NCAA also found secondary violations that included giving out more tickets to basketball games than allowed and providing admission to the Georgia Aquarium and meals to a student athlete.
Fortunately, instances in which member institutions do not cooperate with the NCAA enforcement program are rare. Regrettably, in this case, Georgia Tech officials disobeyed explicit instructions from the enforcement staff to protect the integrity of the investigation, the report reads in the penalty section.
The NCAA penalties include public reprimand and censure, four years of probation through July 2015, a $100,000 fine, a reduction in mens basketball recruiting days, loss of complimentary tickets for high school coaches and prospective students for the first home game and limiting the official visits for basketball coaches to ten for the next two seasons.
The football program has been ordered to give up all victories by the team after Nov. 24, 2009, which includes the ACC Championship game. Georgia Tech is expected to hold a news conference in response to the NCAA announcement at 4:30 p.m.
This is Georgia Techs third major rules infraction. The school had previous cases in 2005 and 1989 each involved the football program.
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