Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will begin serving a nine-game suspension immediately after the NCAA ended a review lasting nearly eight months and upheld the punishment with modifications on Thursday.
Boeheim can return in January for the Atlantic Coast Conference game against North Carolina. He will miss Syracuse games at Georgetown, vs. Colgate, at St. John’s, vs. Cornell, vs. Montana State, vs. Texas Southern, at Pitt, at Miami and vs. Clemson.
Rather than being suspended for nine ACC games as the NCAA had originally ruled, Boeheim begins the suspension Thursday and will be absent from three conference games.
The NCAA took away 12 scholarships and vacated wins for infractions in the school’s athletic programs in addition to the suspension.
The infractions include “academic misconduct,” repeated drug violations and boosters doling out cash to Syracuse players and staff members.
Boeheim, the head coach since 1976, was to be suspended for the team’s first nine ACC games and the school loses three scholarships per year through 2018-19 as punishment for infractions that occurred with the men’s basketball program over the past 10 years.
The university’s penalties also included a five-year probation and for the school to vacate all wins in which ineligible men’s basketball students played during the 2004-07 and 2010-12 seasons, and in which ineligible football students played in the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Miami-bound Richt won’t coach Georgia in bowl
With Mark Richt set to be introduced Friday as Miami’s new coach, Georgia will go forward without him in its bowl game.
The school announced Thursday that assistant head coach Bryan McClendon will be in charge of the team through the bowl. The 31-year-old McClendon is also the wide receivers coach.
The original plan after Richt was ousted at Georgia earlier this week was for him to remain as Bulldogs coach through the bowl game, but plans changed once he agreed to take the Miami job. He spoke with the Bulldogs on Thursday to inform them of the decision.
The school said offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt and other staff members will retain their roles through the bowl. Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity believes having McClendon take over as interim head coach will cause the least disruption to the team.
Richt posted a 145-51 record and won two Southeastern Conference championships in 15 years at Georgia. The Bulldogs are 9-3 this year.
Miami has scheduled a news conference at 10 a.m. Friday to introduce its new head coach. Richt is a former Hurricanes backup quarterback who reached agreement to return to his alma mater, according to multiple reports.
Texas appoints Perrin as AD
Texas interim athletic director Mike Perrin was made the permanent AD on Thursday by university president Greg Fenves.
Fenves announced that he was extending Perrin’s contract through the 2017-2018 academic year. Perrin had served as interim athletic director since September after the school parted ways with former AD Steve Patterson, who was on the job for less than two years.
The 68-year-old Perrin is an attorney and former Longhorns linebacker and defensive end who was initially hired on a one-year contract worth approximately $700,000. Fenves did not indicate in a staff email whether or not Perrin received a salary increase.
In Perrin’s first three months on the job, he facilitated a new 15-year, $250 million apparel and licensing contract with Nike and announced that football ticket prices would hold steady for the next two years. He also remains a supporter of football coach Charlie Strong despite the Longhorns’ 10-14 record in two seasons going into Saturday’s in-state matchup with No. 12 Baylor.
“Since Mike became interim AD, he has proven to be a resourceful and valuable asset to the athletics department, improving relationships with our fans and alumni,” Fenves wrote in his email. “His experiences as a student-athlete and a successful lawyer and businessman have given him unique insight that complements his strong leadership. I am confident that Mike will continue bringing positive change and pride to our Men’s Athletics Department.”