Central Michigan Statement on NCAA Infractions Case

Dear students, colleagues and friends,

At CMU, we ask every member of our community, including our students, faculty and staff, to embrace our core values and to model our Leadership Standards. And, as part of our commitment to accountability and integrity, we accept responsibility when we fall short. Today, we want to acknowledge one of those instances and reassure our community that we have taken steps to help prevent a repeat occurrence.

On September 1, 2023, a non-CMU employee accessed our sideline during an away football game. For the last two years, CMU has fully cooperated with the NCAA as it completed its investigation of this incident, resulting in their acknowledgement of our "exemplary cooperation" in the report issued today. With the release of the NCAA's findings and our Negotiated Resolution agreement today, we are no longer prohibited from commenting on this case and sharing information with our university community.

In this agreement, CMU acknowledged its institutional responsibility for the following of NCAA bylaws:

A Level I violation of the NCAA's Honesty and Sportsmanship bylaw related to CMU football personnel facilitating sideline access for a non-employee.
A Level I violation of the NCAA's Head Coach Responsibility bylaw related to our former head coach's management oversight of his staff members.
Three Level I violations of the NCAA's Failure to Cooperate bylaw related to dishonest/uncooperative conduct exhibited by former CMU employees during the investigation.

To resolve these violations, CMU agreed to two years of probation and a fine of $30,000, plus 1% of the football program's budget. We believe this Negotiated Resolution is in the best interest of the university, which ensures none of our current student-athletes are affected by the actions of former employees. We have also strengthened our internal policies and processes related to sideline access.

We offer our sincere apologies to our neighbors, colleagues and friends at Michigan State University. The actions of our former staff members — both during the inciting incident and the NCAA investigation — were completely contrary to our institutional values. We deeply regret any negative impact this incident may have had on Michigan State.

Moving forward, we will continue to focus on our incredible student-athletes and the hard work they are putting into this season. Our student-athletes, coaches and fans deserve our support. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

Neil MacKinnon, CMU President
Amy Folan, Director of Athletics

Central Michigan University Athletics

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