The NCAA fined Stanford for too much practice and a bicycle
ICYMI: Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky will not have a free waffle maker in her dorm room this fall.
Ledecky — the Olympic gold medalist and rising Stanford freshman — turned down a waffle maker on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier this week because of NCAA regulations.
But she's not alone in navigating the murky depths of NCAA bylaws. Now her university is caught up in the mix as well.
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A day after Ledecky's appearance on the show, Stanford announced it had been found guilty of "major" NCAA violations, including "excessive practice hours" by the softball team and a number of "impermissible benefits" given to a football player by his summer host family. College athletes often stay with local families over the summer before they can move into on-campus housing, although this practice has since been halted at Stanford.
Athletic director Bernard Muir detailed the violations in a statement released Thursday.
"The university regrets these violations and has taken corrective actions to ensure that they are not repeated," Muir said.
The impermissible benefits were given to wide receiver Devon Cajuste during the summer of 2014 and included "...restaurant meals with the landlord's family, movie tickets with the family and the use of a local vacation home," according to Stanford. "Another impermissible benefit was a loan to purchase a bicycle, which, at the time of the review, had already been repaid."
That was a $3,000 loan, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Cajuste served a one-game suspension and donated the total value of the benefits, $3,500, to charity. Stanford — which self-reported these violations in 2014 — asked its softball coach to resign, began limiting softball practice time and now hosts its student-athletes on campus during the summer.
Stanford will be fined $5,000 and given a public reprimand. These "major" violations are a first for Stanford, Muir said.
"The university will continue to be diligent about educating student-athletes and supporters, monitoring its programs and, when a potential violation is discovered, vigorously reviewing the matter and self-reporting to the NCAA any findings," he said. "Stanford will continue to work towards a tradition of excellence and hold itself to the highest standards of conduct and compliance."
