West Virginia football accused of six rules violations by NCAA

Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va.

West Virginia student managers, graduate assistants and other non-coaching staff worked with football players on their skills and techniques in violation of NCAA limits during the Rich Rodriguez era and under current coach Bill Stewart, according to NCAA allegations released Thursday.

The NCAA said this week that there were five major and one secondary rules violations committed by the Mountaineer football program from 2005 to 2009.

The NCAA said both Rodriguez and Stewart failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance. Similar allegations were leveled against Rodriguez during an earlier, separate investigation at Michigan, which in May admitted it had committed a series of violations related to practice time and coaching activities.

Rodriguez led West Virginia, his alma mater, to two BCS berths and a 60-26 record in seven seasons before taking over at Michigan in December 2007. He left West Virginia two weeks after the Mountaineers lost to Pittsburgh in the 2007 regular-season finale and failed to secure a spot in the national championship game.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said there will be no change in Rodriguez’s job status as a result of Thursday’s NCAA announcements.

“We’re not part of the inquiry at WVU and we have limited access to the information pertaining to this investigation,” Brandon said. “We’re certainly paying close attention to the situation, but we all need to let the process and the facts unfold before we draw any conclusions. I’m not going to speculate about any aspect of the outcome.

“I’ve already said Rich is our coach this fall and WVU’s announcement does not change that fact.”