NCAA penalizes UMass for basketball, tennis violations

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 05: A detail of giant NCAA logo is seen outside of the stadium on the practice day prior to the NCAA Men's Final Four at the Georgia Dome on April 5, 2013 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Streeter Lecka / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The NCAA is stripping Massachusetts of victories in men’s basketball and women’s tennis for overpaying 12 athletes about $9,100 in financial aid over three years.

The NCAA announced Friday the Committee on Infractions had imposed a two-year probation on UMass that will end October 2022 in addition to vacating results involving athletes who received what were determined to be inappropriate payments.

The school will also pay a self-imposed fine of $5,000.

UMass plans to appeal the committee’s decision to vacate victories, which include 59 basketball wins and an Atlantic 10 Conference championship in women’s tennis from 2014-17.

The NCAA said four athletes received a higher housing rate after they moved to less-expensive off-campus housing, and eight continued to receive a telecom fee for those who live in on-campus after they moved to off. One athlete received both.

The NCAA determined the overpayments caused the athletes competed while ineligible.

The committee said a former associate athletics director’s misunderstanding of financial aid rules and administrative error resulted in the violations.

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