According to multiple media reports, the NCAA has handed down severe sanctions to the Syracuse men’s basketball program that include dramatic scholarship reductions and a nine game suspension for head coach Jim Boeheim, to be served next season.
Syracuse will lose 12 scholarships over the next four years, in what looks to be some of the most heavy-handed discipline the NCAA has instituted in recent memory.
THIS JUST IN: Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim suspended 9 games as a result of multiple infractions over past 8 yrs. (via http://t.co/l0VABmA6Pv)
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 6, 2015
Reports indicate that the nine game suspension will be served at the beginning of ACC play during the 2015-2016 season, but that the scholarship reductions will not take place until the 2016-2017 season.
Many, both inside and outside of the Orange’s program, believed that the self-imposed postseason ban that the school announced earlier this season was an act of good faith towards the NCAA, one that might bring lighter punishment.
As we can see here, no empty deed goes unpunished.
When sanctions are levied for eight years worth of infractions, it sends a clear message that the enforcement branch of college athletics still has immense power. Reducing scholarship numbers doesn’t necessarily have to be a death sentence, but if we have learned anything from the struggles of USC football thanks to their dramatic scholarship losses, it can seriously damage a program.
Syracuse is a national brand type of program, and will likely bounce back after suffering through these sanctions. As for Boeheim, who turns 71-years-old before next season, predicting his future is a bit more unsure.
