Florida State University academic-athletic scandal
In 2007, administrators at Florida State University publicly announced that an internal investigation had uncovered evidence that multiple student athletes had engaged in academic dishonesty.
[1] The issue first came to light in early 2007, when administrators were notified that a learning specialist within the athletics department may have facilitated cheating on an online quiz.
Following a multi-month investigation, the university found evidence that 23 student athletes in 9 different sports had engaged in academic dishonesty.
[6][7] On March 28, 2007, administrators at FSU were made aware that Brenda Monk, a learning specialist within the athletics department, had possibly engaged in academic dishonesty.
[8] Several weeks later, T. K. Wetherell, the president of FSU, ordered the university's Office of Audit Services to open an investigation into possible academic dishonesty within the athletics department.
[14] His contract ran until January 2009, but according to The Ledger newspaper, he was expected to leave the university by the end of the year.
[9] Additionally, the investigation showed that a tutor had engaged in unethical aid to 23 student athletes, which included providing answers for tests that were taken via the Internet.
[5][12] According to Bleacher Report, the additional suspensions were due to new findings that several football players had initially lied to investigators and only later told the truth regarding their involvement in the scandal after they discovered that they could lose their eligibility if their dishonesty was revealed.
[16] Due in part to the suspensions, which included several members of the team's starting lineup, the Seminoles lost the bowl game to the Kentucky Wildcats.
[13][19] The investigation revealed that much of the cheating occurred with regards to an online test in a music history class—Music of World Cultures[20]—during the Fall 2006, Spring 2007, and Summer 2007 semesters.
[13][7] According to journalist Andrew Carter of the Orlando Sentinel, the class had a reputation as an easy course that could help boost a student's grade point average.
[13][15] As with FSU's internal investigation, the NCAA found no evidence that coaches were aware of or engaged in any academic dishonesty.
[22] In total, ten programs were found to have had student athletes involved in the scandal:[15] As a result, the NCAA stated that they would be vacating wins for every instance that an ineligible player had participated in, place the university on a probation until March 5, 2013, and place restrictions on the number of athletic scholarships that the university could award.
[17] Additionally, the NCAA levied a show-cause penalty against three individuals, ranging from three to five years: Monk, Hillard Goldsmith (a former academic advisor), and an unnamed student tutor.
[20] For the football program, which the NCAA usually allows to award a maximum of 85 scholarships, Florida State self-imposed a limit of 83 for the 2008–09 academic year and 82 for 2009–10.
[24][25] On March 17, 2009, President Wetherell held a press conference where he stated that the university had hired an attorney and would be appealing the NCAA's decision to vacate wins as a form of punishment.
[26] On June 15, 2009, over a dozen news organizations, including the Associated Press,The Florida Times-Union, and the Orlando Sentinel, filed a lawsuit against Florida State and the NCAA in a circuit court in Tallahassee, alleging that the two organizations violated open government laws by not making certain correspondences between the two parties publicly available.
[28] In their complaint, the news organizations stated:[28] The law firm GrayRobinson, as FSU's attorney and agent, has entered into a 'web custodial confidentiality agreement' as required by the NCAA.
[30][29] McCollum had previously written to NCAA President Myles Brand to say that the association could face possible criminal penalization over the case.
[40] On November 15, representatives from FSU argued before a committee of the NCAA at the association's headquarters in Indianapolis against their decision to vacate wins as a punishment.
[42] That same month, the Tampa Bay Times reported that Monk had initiated a lawsuit against FSU for defamation and was seeking $600,000 (equivalent to $850,000 in 2023) in damages.
[10] Rouse stated in his interview, "You [as a high school athlete] have all of this time to prepare [academically] before you get to this level, and then when you get here, you play this punk role as, you know, 'I have a learning disability', when that's not the case".
