FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will appeal the NCAA's decision to vacate the two Outdoor Track and Field Championships the Razorbacks won with sprinter Tyson Gay.
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The NCAA announced its sanctions during a teleconference Wednesday. Josephine Potuto, chair of the Division I committee on infractions, said the violations involved former Razorbacks assistant Lance Brauman and Gay.
Potuto said the violations - unethical conduct and failure to monitor - were not themselves major but combined to form a major violation. She called Arkansas, which has been sanctioned three times in the past 10 years, a two-time repeat offender.
Potuto said the committee also has grown concerned about the "growing problem" with potential student-athletes on campus before enrolling, and Gay was in Fayetteville attempting to gain his eligibility when the violations occurred.
"The underlying violations were not egregious in and of themselves but in combination they formed a major case, particularly when they all involve this world-class athlete," Potuto said.
Brauman recruited Gay from Barton County (Kan.) College in 2003, and an Arkansas investigation revealed allegations that Brauman assisted Gay in enrolling in a correspondence course and was responsible for arranging for two individuals to serve as test proctors for the correspondence course.
The investigation came after Brauman was convicted in federal court in Kansas in July on felony charges of mail fraud, embezzlement and theft from his time as a coach at Barton. Brauman resigned from Arkansas after his convictions.
Arkansas' self-imposed sanctions included a loss of three scholarships in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and not recruiting junior college athletes through next year. The NCAA returned the three scholarships to the Razorbacks for 2007-08 but vacated the two national titles the Razorbacks won.
Potuto said the committee felt vacating the records was more appropriate than scholarship reductions because the role Gay had in helping the Razorbacks win two team titles. Gay's individual records - two national championships and seven All-American honors - will also be vacated.