NCAA: Michigan football out of rules compliance

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The NCAA is accusing Michigan of five potentially major rules violations under coach Rich Rodriguez, who admitted making “mistakes” but will be back for a third try at putting the Wolverines back into the national title hunt.

Incoming athletic director David Brandon disclosed the NCAA conclusions Tuesday, but said there were no surprises in the report. He expressed full support for his coach, who is 8-16 in two disappointing seasons heading the nation’s winningest football program.

“Rich Rodriguez is our football coach, and he will be our football coach next year,” Brandon said.

In its notice of allegations — which Michigan received Monday — the NCAA said Rodriguez “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program,” and tracked neither what his staff was doing nor whether his players were following NCAA rules, particularly those limiting the time spent on practice and football-related activities.

It also said the athletics department failed to make sure its football program was complying with NCAA regulations.

Brandon said the department “clearly made mistakes,” but “there was no charge of loss of institutional control” — an allegation that in previous cases has led to severe NCAA sanctions for other schools.

Another potentially significant problem for Michigan is that it could be subject to the NCAA’s “repeat violator rule,” because of NCAA sanctions imposed in 2003 because of wrongdoing within the basketball program.

The NCAA considers the charges outlined in this week’s notice as being “potential” violations until Michigan formally responds and is subject to the August hearing.

Michigan has 90 days to respond and will appear at an NCAA hearing on infractions in August. Michigan is seeing how its internal investigation matches up with the NCAA findings and will consider implementing self-imposed sanctions.

The NCAA said last October that it was looking into the program following an August report in the Detroit Free Press. The newspaper, citing anonymous football players, reported that Michigan exceeded NCAA limits regarding practices and workouts in 2008 and 2009.

Rodriguez originally signed a six-year deal worth $2.5 million per season. On Tuesday, the coach said if the football staff misinterpreted NCAA rules, “That’s on us.”