Maryland gets probation

The Maryland football program yesterday was placed on probation for one year, receiving a minor penalty despite a ruling by the NCAA that the school had committed a “major violation” of recruiting rules.

The probation carries no loss of scholarships, television appearances or bowl eligibility for the football team. The school will remain on the NCAA’s database of rules violators for one year. However, the school would face severe sanctions if it is found guilty of another major violation by any of its athletic programs within five years.

“It has been a very tough time in my life for the last six months,” Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen said. “This has been bothering me for a long time. I’m just happy it’s ending.”

The NCAA infractions committee decided Maryland warranted no serious sanctions because the school acted decisively in addressing its problem.

Maryland quickly disclosed the recruiting violations in early February and dismissed linebackers coach Rod Sharpless, who was accused of giving $335 to a Baltimore prep star last fall. The school also had three minor violations that involved giving food and clothing to other recruits.

The NCAA ruled that Sharpless committed five infractions when he gave Victor Abiamiri money in increments of $200, $100, $20, $10 and $5. Assistant coach Al Seamonson also was cited for giving a shirt and cap to a recruit’s father. Sharpless also bought two sodas and a hot dog for another recruit and his girlfriend and gave Abiamiri a birthday cake. The latter violations were considered secondary and drew no penalties.

Sharpless can’t coach without NCAA approval for two years. Seamonson was ordered to donate $20 to charity for the clothing’s costs and received a two-year pay freeze.

Friedgen said he meets regularly with his staff to ensure that the pressure of recruiting marquee athletes won’t again undermine the program. A second major infraction could cost the team postseason appearances and scholarships.

Abiamiri was considered one of the nation’s premier defensive ends and was expected to join his two brothers already on the Terps roster. After the violations were discovered, Maryland quit recruiting Abiamiri and he went to Notre Dame.

“You have to do things right,” Friedgen said. “You can’t allow the pressures of recruiting to get to you. All you can do is your best. It’s a shame because I still think we didn’t have to do this in order to get [Abiamiri] to be here.

“I’m embarrassed. One of the things I hold very valuable in my life is my integrity. It hurts me and it hurts that my school is put in that category, but I’m going to be much more vigilant in the future.”

The NCAA determined Sharpless acted alone using personal funds, even citing an ATM receipt for the $200 Abiamiri used to buy a video game before Christmas last year. Sharpless was quickly ousted. Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow reiterated recruits can’t be given anything and said any other rule-breakers also will be fired.

“Not even a Coke,” Yow said. “The most innocent thing you might think you would do that would not amount to anything, you cannot do that. … We will act with integrity. We will follow the rules and anybody that is ever found to not be doing that will be dismissed.”

Maryland hired independent investigators as part of its open-ended review. NCAA infractions committee chairman Thomas Yeager said Maryland might have received a two-year probation if not for its self-imposed penalties.

“It was a very good response,” he said. “The fact that the committee granted an exemption from the presumptive two-year probationary period answers that question.”

However, Yeager refuted Maryland’s contention that it should have been given only a secondary violation. In the NCAA infraction committee’s most recent 12 decisions, five among that group were found with major violations. None, however, were considered to be over single issues and each was cited for loss of institutional control.

Maryland’s case centered on Abiamiri, and no charge of institutional control problems was levied.

“The committee never believed this was a secondary case,” Yeager said. “I don’t think anyone in college athletics, if you talk about a highly-recruited prospect [paid] on five different occasions, wouldn’t think that wasn’t a major violations. … There’s no question in the coach’s mind that he was violating a rule.”

Friedgen conceded the investigation may have been a distraction to the team in recent months. Maryland is preparing for its Aug. 28 opener at Northern Illinois and lately, according to Friedgen, his team’s practice has been sloppy.

“We’ve been missing a little bit of a spark we’ve normally had,” he said. “I don’t know if this is the reason.”