Morehead St. put on probation for recruiting violations

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- The NCAA on Wednesday placed the men's basketball program at Morehead State University on probation for two years for recruiting violations related to booster activity.

The eastern Kentucky college announced the NCAA accepted Morehead's self-imposed penalties and did not include serious sanctions.

"We are encouraged from our own investigation and that the NCAA also believed the violations did not warrant a postseason ban or forfeiture of any wins," said Brian Hutchinson, director of intercollegiate athletics.

Morehead State president Wayne Andrews said in the statement that coach Donnie Tyndall, the 2007-2008 Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, accepted full responsibility for the violations. This will be his fifth season with the Eagles.

Morehead State finished last season 24-11 overall and 15-3 in the OVC. In 2009, Tyndall led the Eagles to their first OVC title and NCAA tournament bid in 25 years, but they lost in the second round.

Andrews said Morehead's self-imposed penalties included the loss of one scholarship; temporary reductions in recruiting days, visits and telephone calls; and a permanent ban from recruiting student athletes in all sports from the NIA school in Newark, N.J.

"We have begun to implement changes in our compliance programs that will enable us to move forward with confidence and avoid incidents of this type in the future," Andrews said.