This Week In Sports Law: Rutgers Violations, New UNC Charges, WakeyLeaks Fallout – Forbes

Rutgers University Receives NCAA Notice Of Allegations

Recruiting violations, providing players with better grades than deserved and previously unreported positive drug tests are at issue in a new NCAA Notice of Allegations sent to Rutgers University. The Notice comes at the conclusion of an eighteen month NCAA investigation into the Rutgers athletic department.

The allegations also include Rutgers operating an impermissible host program for football recruits.

Ex-Rutgers football head coach Kyle Flood has not said much about the allegations, but did state that “some of the allegations were situations that we discovered on our own and submitted to the NCAA. Some of the issues are athletic-department oversight issues and some of the issues I disagree with.”

Rutgers president Robert Barchi responded, “despite my disappointment over these allegations, I believe we are a stronger university because of our immediate and transparent response to them.”

NCAA Continues To Hammer UNC For Academic Fraud

While Rutgers is dealing with a very serious Notice of Allegations, this is type of activity is old news for the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. UNC has received its third NCAA Notice of Allegations stemming from an ongoing investigation into academic fraud.

It all relates to bogus African Studies classes that either provided impermissible benefits to college athletes or at least “lacked institutional control.” Now, the NCAA has alleged that the classes violated the Association’s principles of ethical conduct and extra-benefit legislation. The new Notice of Allegations specifically states that the classes assisted in maintaining the eligibility of football and men’s basketball players.

UNC and Rutgers should both have the same amount of time to respond to their respective Notices of Allegations — ninety days from receipt.

Many Coaches Implicated In WakeyLeaks Spillage

The fallout from WakeyLeaks is starting to mirror that of a more common WikiLeaks scandal. WakeyLeaks, which involves the misappropriation of confidential Wake Forest football game plans, has reached far and wide, with many purportedly benefiting from the dissemination started by former Wake Forest radio announcer Tommy Elrod.

As of December 15, it was clear that Louisville had received copies of the plans. Yet, head coach Bobby Petrino previously claimed that the team never used the information and had “no knowledge of the situation.”

Louisville is not alone.

University of Georgia assistant head coach Shane Beamer has been fined $25,000 after admitting that he also received the confidential plays from Elrod.

Meanwhile, Army is under investigation for potentially also receiving and using the proprietary information.

New Jersey Devils Wrongfully Withheld Medical Documents

A California workers’ compensation appeals board has ruled that former NHL player Mike Peluso had medical records wrongfully withheld by his former employer, the New Jersey Devils. One document allegedly confirms that Peluso suffered a concussion during an on-ice fight. Another document states that Peluso could have additional seizures based on suffering more head trauma.

The aforementioned documents were revealed as part of Peluso’s workers’ compensation case, wherein he alleged that the injuries he suffered during his NHL career have left him permanently disabled. The Devils were seeking to exclude the documents from being used as evidence.

Peluso’s case is currently scheduled to be heard in early February 2017.

Darren Heitner the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C. and Sports Agent Blog. He authored the book, How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know.

Follow @DarrenHeitner