Boise State Football: NCAA Sanctions and Player Eligibility Woes

The NCAA infractions committee has released its decision on what sanctions the Boise State athletic department faces for violations that were committed from 2005 to 2009. 

Claiming a lack of institutional control, the NCAA took away one additional scholarship after the Broncos had already dropped two over the next two years, including this year. This will bring the total scholarships Boise State offers in football from 85 to 82. 

The NCAA also agreed with the Broncos' self-imposed penalty of removing three contact practices in 2011 and 2012, but also added that three practices would be removed in 2013 and 2014. Other sanctions include a $5,000 fine the Boise State program must pay (self-imposed), and placement on probation for three years, starting Sept. 3, 2011.

These penalties are due to recruiting, impermissible housing and transportation violations involving 63 student athletes in the football program during the summers of 2005 through 2009. 

In its statement, the NCAA said, "Boise State failed to establish an adequate compliance system to report NCAA rules violations with regard to impermissible housing, transportation and other benefits to prospective and enrolled student-athletes. The university failed to provide adequate rules education and training to staff members to ensure compliance.

"In addition, the university failed to monitor its program to deter, find and report instances of NCAA violations to the NCAA."

This also comes on news that Boise State has suspended a student manager with ties to the three Dutch players that had to sit out of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Georgia after questions about their eligibility came up. 

Boise State is not saying whether the suspension is related to the football program sitting wide receiver Gerald Boldewijn, safety Cedric Febis and defensive tackle Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe for the opening game and possibly the upcoming game in Toledo.

The job was a student job and is not an actual coaching position, but Floris Mendonca still has ties to the football program.  In 2008, he brought 10 players to the Broncos' summer camp. Five of them stayed to compete for local Boise high schools, including two of the three players whose eligibility is in question.

Chris Petersen and the Bronco athletic department are scheduled to respond to the NCAA sanctions today (including the much stiffer violations for tennis and track and field) and are still awaiting the results of and an internal investigation into the eligibility of his three Dutch players.