South Carolina State University, a historically Black university in Orangeburg, has been placed on probation by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for various non-compliance violations.
In the fall of 2022, administrators from South Carolina State University’s athletics division self-reported infractions to the NCAA, resulting in an investigation into the HBCU’s compliancy. According to the NCAA investigation’s findings, South Carolina State University failed to maintain squad lists for 14 different sports teams and allowed a total of four ineligible student-athletes to compete on the women’s basketball team, the football team, and the women’s soccer team during the 2021-2022 academic year.
Representatives from both the NCAA and South Carolina State University agreed that these violations occurred after the university experienced a ransomware attack on the information technology system used by coaching staff and administrators to confirm student-athlete eligibility.
As a result of these findings, South Carolina State University has agreed to cooperate with several NCAA penalities. The university will be placed on a one-year probation and pay $10,000 in fines. Additionally, the women’s basketball team, football team, and women’s basketball team will all experience a scholarship and grant-in-aid reduction of 2.5 percent for the 2024-2025 academic year, as well as a revocation of all individual and team records associated with the 2021-2022 academic year.
The full negotiated resolution agreement between South Carolina State University and the NCAA can be read here.
