NCAA appeals committee upholds Sampson findings

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld the findings against former Indiana men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.

Sampson, currently an assistant in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks, resigned from his Indiana post on February 22, 2008 in the wake of allegations of impermissible phone calls. He was given a five-year penalty from the NCAA that bars him from holding a collegiate coaching job until 2013.

The infractions committee also gave Indiana three years' probation, having been found guilty of failing to monitor the program.

In his appeal, Sampson said the penalties were excessive and that the NCAA made procedural errors while also misinterpreting evidence.

The NCAA, in its release Tuesday, said it found "no basis on which to conclude that the findings of violations were contrary to the evidence," also adding that the penalties were not excessive.

Sampson was in his second season at Indiana when the violations were first reported. He also spent 12 years at Oklahoma, during which time he was already under NCAA scrutiny for similar violations of impermissible phone contact.

In 25 years as a collegiate head coach, which also includes stints at Washington State and Montana Tech, Sampson has a record of 498-272. He guided Oklahoma to the Final Four in 2002.

Date of Article: Wed Jul 01, 2009 3:25 pm

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