BATON ROUGE, La., July 19 (UPI) -- The LSU football program is on probation for one year now that the NCAA has accepted the school's self-imposed sanctions for recruiting violations.
An internal investigation by LSU revealed violations of NCAA transportation and lodging rules during the recruitment of a junior college player in the summer of 2009.
The infractions were major, the NCAA found, but in its report released Tuesday, the organization gave the school credit for getting to the bottom of the matter.
"The committee lauds the institution's compliance office for its efforts to investigate and uncover the violations," the NCAA wrote in its report.
LSU's probation will end next July 18. It's self-imposed penalties include recruiting restrictions, scholarship reductions, telephone contact restrictions, and a one-year, show-cause order for a former assistant coach that restricts his athletics-related duties.
The NCAA also publicly reprimanded LSU.
LSU Athletics Director Joe Alleva called it "a fair outcome," given the school's unilateral efforts.
"It is extremely rare that a university would be given less than two years probation in a situation like this," he said.
The assistant coach involved, D.J. McCarthy, resigned in 2009 and the recruit, Akiem Hicks, never played a game for the Tigers. Other violations uncovered included more than 3,600 phone calls made by three non-coaching members of the athletics administration to or from high school coaches and administrators, prospects, and family members of prospects.
Tigers Coach Les Miles has produced a 62-17 record in six seasons at LSU, including a national championship in 2007.
