NCAA Bans SMU Golf, Defending Indy Champ From Postseason

As far as NCAA golf scandals go, this one is as big as it gets. And because the primary people punished are student-athletes who did nothing wrong, including the defending NCAA individual champion and the closest thing college golf has to a star, I suspect this story will not go away.

Brentley Romine at Golfweek.com with the full details of the NCAA report, that also penalized SMU basketball coach Larry Brown.

Between Dec. 6, 2012, and Oct. 23, 2013, the former head men's golf coach and an assistant golf coach engaged in 64 impermissible recruiting contacts with 10 men's golf prospects and seven parents of men's golf prospects, according to the NCAA report.

The NCAA did not name the individuals in the report. Josh Gregory was the head coach at SMU from June 2011 until he resigned on Aug. 8, 2014. Jason Enloe, Gregory's assistant at SMU, is the Mustangs' current head coach.

Gregory will not be able to seek employment at an NCAA member school until 2019.

GolfChannel.com's Ryan Lavner has this from Gregory, who is understandably miffed at the punishment levied against the current players, including current U.S. Amateur champion and defending NCAA individual winner Bryson DeChambeau.

It’s a crushing blow for SMU’s program, which has risen to national prominence in recent years. Two years ago, Gregory helped lead his alma mater to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time, and last year DeChambeau became the first NCAA champion in school history.

“I’m embarrassed about what happened,” said Gregory, who resigned in August 2014. “I feel terrible for the kids – those are the ones I feel worst about. It just makes no sense whatsoever. Throw the book at me and give all the penalties to me, but the kids are the ones who suffer. It’s simply garbage.”

Unless the current players received some sort of extraordinary gifts bordering on bribes, it's hard to fathom how the punishment fits the crime.

This is also a bit of a blow to college golf's ability to gain traction under the glare of the television spotlight that would have enjoyed--had he qualified--having DeChambeau to put forward as a star attraction in next springs NCAA finals.

DeChambeau will still enjoy Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship exemptions if he remains an amateur.

The full NCAA press release detailing some of the charges of recruiting violations is posted here.