Ole Miss takes last step in the NCAA appeals process

Maddie Lee | Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Show Caption Hide Caption Matt Luke embraces his first SEC Media Days trip Ole Miss coach Matt Luke talks about QB Jordan Ta'amu, the health of some players and preseason expectations ahead of SEC Media Days.

OXFORD — Ole Miss athletic director Ross Bjork confirmed to the Clarion Ledger that Ole Miss went in front of the NCAA Infraction Appeals Committee this week, as first reported by 247Sports.

Bjork declined to speculate on how Wednesday’s hearing may affect the final decision on violations and penalties, but he said, “We were prepared. We left everything on the table, and that’s all we can do.”

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Bjork and football coach Matt Luke both said they expect the Infraction Appeals Committee to release its final decision, which will either confirm or revise the Committee on Infractions’ conclusions, sometime this fall. Bjork said Ole Miss has not been given a more specific timeline. The COI handed down penalties that included a two-year bowl ban, recruiting restrictions, financial penalties and probation for 21 allegations of violations.

In a recent case, the Infractions Appeals Committee announced its decision regarding Louisville basketball violations 10 weeks after the hearing. However, the holiday season may have altered the committee’s schedule.

Talk of new violations surfaced this week when a screenshot of a Facebook post in a closed Mississippi State forum made its rounds on Ole Miss message boards. The post claimed an SEC school other than Mississippi State would have to self-report an NCAA violation because several boosters contacted recruits through social media.

Bjork confirmed to the Clarion Ledger that Ole Miss recently submitted a self-report to the SEC that exposed a group of fans improperly contacting recruits through Twitter. The NCAA has rules against fans and boosters promoting their school to recruits in any way through social media. In addition, this particular violation involved “direct” and “deliberate” contact, Bjork said. According to Bjork, the incident occurred this winter. He described Ole Miss' response as “standard reporting” of a level 3 violation (the lowest on the scale).

Bjork said he doesn’t expect the self-reported violation to have any influence Ole Miss’ appeal, which, among other things, challenges the COI’s conclusion that the University lacked institutional control.

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