Samford University's athletic department is on probation and must pay a fine for NCAA violations involving academic certification of transfer student-athletes. Samford said the violations involved 33 athletes between fall 2010 and spring 2014. The athletes were involved in eight sports, including baseball, football, softball and men's basketball. Samford will be on probation for three years, and must pay a $5,000 fine. “We have accepted the penalties the NCAA has given our athletics department,” Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said. “In acknowledging the violations, we would like to point out that during the audit, the NCAA found that there was no intentional wrongdoing by anyone in the athletics department or the university. Members of the university and athletics staffs committed relatively simple errors, but the problems were compounded because the errors were made over an extended period of time. We have taken steps to make sure this does not happen again.”

Samford University's athletic department is on probation and must pay a fine for NCAA violations involving academic certification of transfer student-athletes.

Samford said the violations involved 33 athletes between fall 2010 and spring 2014.


The athletes were involved in eight sports, including baseball, football, softball and men's basketball.

Samford will be on probation for three years, and must pay a $5,000 fine.



“We have accepted the penalties the NCAA has given our athletics department,” Samford Director of Athletics Martin Newton said. “In acknowledging the violations, we would like to point out that during the audit, the NCAA found that there was no intentional wrongdoing by anyone in the athletics department or the university. Members of the university and athletics staffs committed relatively simple errors, but the problems were compounded because the errors were made over an extended period of time. We have taken steps to make sure this does not happen again.”