An NCAA appeals committee has upheld Missouri‘s bowl ban for this season, sources confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
The Tigers, at 5-6 overall, could have qualified for a postseason bowl game by beating Arkansas on the road in Friday’s regular-season finale.
In January, the NCAA banned Missouri’s football, baseball and softball teams from the postseason for a year and placed the entire athletic department on probation. The programs also lost scholarships and faced other recruiting restrictions.
PowerMizzou.com first reported details of the NCAA appeals committee’s decision.
Missouri officials appealed the postseason ban in March. In a 64-page brief to the NCAA appeals committee, the Tigers argued that the original ruling was contrary to NCAA precedent, was not appropriate given the nature of the allegations and could set a dangerous precedent for future NCAA enforcement decisions.
“We believe that the penalties our programs received were a clear abuse of the committee’s discretion based upon existing NCAA bylaws,” Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk said at the time. “Our staff and legal team have worked tirelessly to research and develop a well-written appeal that accurately reflects our position. We look forward to having the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the NCAA.”
The case began in 2016 when a tutor, Yolanda Kumar, admitted she violated NCAA rules by completing coursework and ensuring athletes in football, baseball and softball passed certain classes.
Missouri conducted an internal investigation after Kumar made her allegations on social media. Tigers officials then cooperated with the NCAA during its probe and self-imposed penalties of their own. Kumar received a 10-year show-cause from the NCAA.