Remove Two Violations from Self Report, KU Asks NCAA

Sept. 19, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

The University of Kansas Athletics Department has notified the NCAA that it wishes to withdraw two self-reported secondary violations that were included in an appendix of the self-report the university delivered to the NCAA in June.

The two secondary violations mentioned in the appendix involved off-campus meetings with prospective student-athletes and two KU faculty members in December 1998. Such off-campus meetings would have violated NCAA rules.

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“We have conducted interviews with both faculty members – Ms. Florence Boldridge, director of diversity programs in the School of Engineering, and Mr. John Michel, a retired professor of Speech, Language & Hearing,” said Rick Evrard, the outside counsel Kansas Athletics hired to conduct the investigation and write the self-report. “Based on the information learned during those interviews,” he said, “we believe the incidents cited in the report did not take place. We have, therefore, advised the NCAA that we believe it is appropriate to withdraw these violations from our self-report.”

“Ms. Boldridge and Mr. Michel have been outstanding ambassadors for the University of Kansas, educating numerous prospective student-athletes about the University,” KU Athletics Director Lew Perkins said. “They did nothing wrong, and we are truly sorry we included their names in the self-report. We hope we can continue to count on them to serve as ambassadors for KU and Kansas Athletics.”