NCAA Vice President Reportedly Approved Payments to Nevin Shapiro's Lawyer

More concerning information has been released about the NCAA’s mishandling of its investigation of Miami (Fla.) athletic programs and their relationship with incarcerated former booster Nevin Shapiro. 

In January, the NCAA announced via its website that it had “uncovered an issue of improper conduct within its enforcement program that occurred during the University of Miami investigation,” and that “President Emmert has commissioned an external review of the enforcement program.”

CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd reported that knowledge of the NCAA’s scheme to pay Shapiro’s lawyers for information on their client’s involvement with the university. He wrote the following:

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The sources said enforcement director Julie Roe Lach discussed and approved the disbursement of at least $20,000 in October-November 2011. The NCAA is already conducting an external review investigating what it called "improper conduct" by its enforcement arm.

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Roe Lach is also the vice president of enforcement.

In response to the report, Dodd quotes NCAA spokesman Bob Williams as saying, "Whether or not Julie approved [the action], it will be part of the external review process [...]. However, the review is solely focused on enforcement."

With more messy details of the enforcement arm’s blunder being released, the often-criticized NCAA will continue to attract negative press.

However, the review of the misconduct was self-imposed, and the organization is doing its best to figure out which of its employees are responsible for the poor judgment shown during the investigation. 

Ultimately, it is difficult to see how the NCAA can escape this mess without doing further damage to its image.