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University of Michigan Accused of Violating NCAA Practice Regulations

Posted August 30th, 2009 by Nathan

According to a published report, several Michigan football players have said that the team under Rich Rodriguez consistently violated NCAA rules regarding the amount of time they can spend on training and practice sessions.

On the condition that their names would not be mentioned, players from the 2008 and 2009 teams told the Detroit Free Press on Saturday that the amount of time they spend on football activities during the season and in the off-season greatly exceeds the limits. Players did not want to come forward and tell their names because they feared   repercussions from coaches and In a written response, Rodriguez said, "We know the practice and off-season rules, and we stay within the guidelines. We follow the rules and have always been completely committed to being compliant with all NCAA rules."

Van Horn assured that her department conducts "in-person spot checks of practice during the academic year and summer. We have not had any reason to self-report any violations in this area with any of our sports." According to a former player who started for Michigan last season told ESPN Saturday night, the players were saying the truth. He said that in-season Sundays at the football facility lasted from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., including a one-hour lunch. That would be an 11-hour day. The NCAA daily limit is four hours, the weekly limit 20. The player asked not to be identified for fear of repercussions from fans. He also mentioned that the NCAA limit is eight hours of required workouts in the off-season. Their workouts included three-hour lifts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and two hours of speed and agility on Tuesdays and Thursday. 13 hours in total.

This player said he would tell the Big Ten or NCAA what players were required to do and believes most of his former teammates would, as well. A current Michigan football team player told ESPN that his in-season Sundays at the football facility lasted from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., although he acknowledged the first two hours were spent in treatment, which cannot be called a violation of rules. According to the player players will be off on Sundays, practicing on Mondays this season. The player said that the he worked out for 16 hours which is double than the allotted hours in the off-season. He inquired from the strength coaches why the workouts seemed excessive and was told that some parts of the exercises, such as core work and injury prevention, were not counted as required. The player said the strength coach told him that the workout plan was NCAA approved.

Players told the Free Press that quality-control staff often watched seven-on-seven off-season scrimmages that are supposed to be voluntary and that only training staff are allowed to attend. Five out of the ten current or former players  interviewed by the Free Press gave similar statement about how the program is run and a sixth player confirmed most of the descriptions. The remaining four players gave a general idea of the program. None disputed the allegations.

The players acknowledged that they did not tell the university's compliance department about their concerns and had signed forms stating NCAA rules had been followed. According to one player that athletes would get in trouble if they didn't sign.

Chad Hawley, Big Ten associate commissioner for compliance told ESPN.com that the conference would only be present in an advisory capacity for any investigation of this matter. Michigan would have to conduct an investigation and, depending on the circumstances, the NCAA.

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