TALLAHASSEE Fla.
Florida State’s sports teams will be on self-imposed probation for two years and some will lose scholarships because of an academic cheating scandal, the university said in a report released Thursday.
About 60 student-athletes also have or will suffer some loss of eligibility. Two staffers, a tutor and learning specialist, already had been fired. No additional dismissals were listed in the investigatory report.
The cheating occurred mainly through online testing for a single course in the fall of 2006 and the spring and summer semesters last year.
Florida State officials conducted the investigation with assistance from the NCAA, Atlantic Coast Conference and a consulting firm. The report has been sent to the NCAA, which can still conduct its own investigation and impose additional penalties.
Among the corrective actions listed in the report is a requirement for all athletics staff members to attend a four-hour training program titled “Decision-Making in the NCAA Compliance Environment.”
“We believe that our investigation has been thorough and exhaustive,” said Florida State provost Larry Abele, who chaired the investigating committee. “This university and its Athletics Department have accepted responsibility, made changes in the process and systems and imposed penalties as warranted.”
