NCAA punishes Radford for violations

Feb 24, 2012 - 11:27 PM Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The NCAA placed the Radford men's basketball and tennis programs on probation for two years for violations that were centered on recruiting inducements.

The NCAA's Division I Committee on Infractions announced the penalties, saying they were caused primarily involving impermissible transportation, lodging and meals.

Former men's basketball coach Brad Greenberg, who was at Radford between 2007 and 2011, received a five-year show-cause penalty restricting any recruiting activity. Two former assistant coaches and the former director of operations each received a two-year show-cause restricting any off-campus recruiting.

While not naming Greenberg specifically, the NCAA said the former head coach concealed some of the violations during the investigation.

"This case is one in a series of recent infractions in which there has been either a concerted effort to cover up violations, or there was a deliberate failure to report violations," the committee stated in its report. "In each of those cases, the concealment resulted in more serious violations and penalties than the original case might have warranted."

The NCAA said the basketball staff "compromised the integrity of the investigation by providing false, misleading and incomplete information to the investigators. The staff also communicated with each other about the enforcement staff's inquiry, sometimes going so far as to use prepaid cellular phones in order to conceal conversations from the university and NCAA enforcement staff."

Penalties for the case include scholarship reductions, recruiting restrictions, vacation of records, two years probation and a $2,000 fine. There will be a reduction of men's basketball scholarships by a total of two during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years. Additionally, four wins during the 2010-11 season will be vacated because a student-athlete competed while ineligible.

"Radford University respects the NCAA enforcement process and will conscientiously comply with the Committee's findings," Radford athletics director Robert Lineburg said in a statement. "The university remains committed to the ideals of integrity and fair play that are embodied in NCAA competition."