Alabama Crimson Tide Forced to Vacate Wins

Sixteen athletic programs at Alabama University face sanctions after over 200 student-athletes were found to have intentionally obtained free textbooks for other students, against university regulations. Among the offending students were seven Crimson Tide football players. As a result of their actions the Tide will be forced to vacate all victories in which one or more of those players competed. That means that 21 Alabama victories will be vacated from all official record books. Five of the seven football players have been named: linemen Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis, running back Glen Coffee and defensive backs Chris Rogers and Marquis Johnson. Their violations were actually uncovered during the 2007 season, and they were each suspended four games at that time.

It was the university and not the NCAA or any other regulatory body that discovered, investigated and reported the violations, which may explain the relative leniency of the penalties imposed, given the large reach of the scandal. Other than the wins being struck down from the record, Alabama be fined $43,900 and will be placed on probation for three years. However, their football program will not have any scholarships removed, which means that they should be able to recruit without much added difficulty. There has been some speculation that Alabama’s tarnished reputation may make the task of recruiting more difficult, but the presence of Nick Saban as head coach should ensure that Alabama remains very competitive in that area. As far as the future of the Crimson Tide football team is concerned, this is pretty much a non-issue. Coach Saban basically said the same thing himself: “I’m really happy for the players we have in the program that this won’t affect their future, nor will it affect the players we’re recruiting. We’re always happy to be moving on, and we’re looking forward to the future.”

Other athletics programs involved include men’s and women’s basketball, softball, baseball, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s volleyball. All individuals and the teams associated with them will have their wins and records removed from the books.

As far as college athletics scandals go, the procurement of free textbooks for fellow students is not a particularly disturbing incident. The NCAA has stated that 125 of the 201 athletes identified received benefits of under $100. It is unclear whether they procured less than $100 for others, or in some way benefitted financially themselves. That interpretation is contradicted by the university’s statement that none of the textbooks were used for profit. Athletes involved in the scandal that are still eligible for their scholarships will have to pay restitution.