The NCAA has placed the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on probation

The NCAA has placed the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on probation.

Two years after Rutgers fired Kyle Flood for basically not doing his job, the NCAA has imposed sanctions on the football team. This should be the end of an 18-month investigation by the school and the NCAA.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions released the following statement about its decision.

"The former head coach took a casual approach to compliance as it relates to the host program. He exercised little, if any, oversight of the group, permitting recruiting staff to administer the program with no supervision. As the individual who had ultimate oversight of all aspects of the football program, it is implicit that the head coach was also responsible for the actions of football hosts and, ultimately, the violations they committed."

The violations stem from off-field issues such as the mishandling of drug tests, coaches contacting professors, and other issues. The NCAA sent Rutgers a notice at the end of 2016, notifying them of multiple violations.

Rutgers responded, asking for most of what it got. They asked for “one year of probation, a $5,000 fine, a reduction in the number of permissible, off-campus recruiting days and a limit of 36 official visits for high school seniors and transfer students in football during the 2017-18 academic year,” according to ESPN.

In response, the NCAA issued a two-year probation, reduced the off-campus recruiting days by 10, and cutting four official visits, in addition to the $5,000 fine. The NCAA charged the Scarlet Knights with “failure to monitor its football program.”

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The team got off without a bowl ban or a loss in scholarships because of their response. Rutgers fired their athletic director in addition to Flood while also self-imposing other sanctions. Of course, the bowl ban only matters if the Scarlet Knights improve from their 2-10 2016 record.