West Texas A&M University Athletics

- Read the Full NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions Report
  The West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) athletics department is informing all prospective student-athletes in the sport of football that the program has undergone an NCAA investigation into violations committed in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by coaches who are no longer employed by WTAMU.    
 
On March 23, 2016, the NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions (COI) released its report on the WTAMU football program.  The COI determined that the former WTAMU head football coach provided impermissible benefits to two student-athletes.  He subsequently engaged in unethical conduct and failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance when he provided false information during the investigation and also asked student-athletes to provide false information regarding the benefits he had provided them.   The COI also determined that a former WTAMU assistant coach (AC1) provided impermissible benefits to student-athletes and engaged in unethical conduct when he gave false information during the investigation.   Additionally, the COI cited another former WTAMU assistant coach (AC2) who did not report academic misconduct when he learned that a football student-athlete completed coursework for a teammate. 
 
The investigative process began in December 2012 when the WTAMU athletics department received information of possible impermissible benefits violations committed by AC1 and began an in-house investigation with the assistance of the Lone Star Conference.   AC1 resigned his position with the University in January 2013 to take a head coaching position with another NCAA member school.  Upon the conclusion of the initial investigation in May 2013, WTAMU reported major and secondary infractions to the NCAA and self-imposed penalties on the football program, including a one-year off-campus recruiting ban for the former head football coach, forfeiture of performance incentives by the 2012-13 football staff and a reduction of two football scholarships for the 2013-14 season.  Subsequently, additional major infractions were committed by the former head football coach in July 2013 and August 2013.   As a result, the former head football coach was relieved of his coaching duties in August 2013 and the new infractions were reported to the NCAA in September 2013.  
 
For these violations, the former head coach and AC1 each received two-year show cause orders from the NCAA.  Further, the former head coach was suspended indefinitely from all off-campus recruiting and AC1 will be limited in his current duties as head coach, including an NCAA-mandated suspension.  
 
In June 2014, two student-athletes engaged in academic fraud when one completed coursework for another.   AC2 learned of the misconduct during the summer of 2014 and failed to report it to the athletics department, which learned of the fraud in October 2014 and immediately reported to the NCAA and suspended the two student-athletes.   WTAMU also nullified all games and vacated wins in which the academically ineligible student-athlete participated.   For this violation, AC2 received a two-year show cause order from the NCAA. 
 
In addition to the self-imposed penalties enacted by WTAMU, the COI placed the football program on three years of probation that will end on March 22, 2019.  The program will also have a reduction of 3.51 scholarships for the 2016 season only.   
 
WTAMU continues to be eligible to participate in the NCAA Division II football playoffs each year, and remains steadfastly committed to athletic and academic excellence in each of its 17 varsity sports.  
 
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this information you may contact Michael McBroom, Director of Athletics at 806-651-4402 or Paul Sweetgall, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance at 806-651-4437.   The NCAA Public Report can be found by clicking “NCAA Infractions Report” at GoBuffsGo.com.