FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          January 29, 2007
Contact: Steve Valencia, (580) 327-8478 

NORTHWESTERN INFORMS NAIA OF RULES VIOLATION

            Northwestern Oklahoma State University has informed the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) that an internal investigation has confirmed that the school’s football program used an ineligible player in six games during the 2006 season.

            “We received information on Tuesday, Jan. 24, that the eligibility of a player was in question and that prompted an immediate review of the status of this individual,” said Dr. Janet Cunningham, president of Northwestern. “Unfortunately, our investigation did reveal that an ineligible player was allowed to participate.”

            Cunningham said Northwestern has informed the NAIA of the violation and will work with the organization in handling the situation.

            The player in question did not enroll for the spring 2007 semester and has left the institution.

            “The integrity of Northwestern and its athletic programs is of paramount importance and we are tremendously disappointed that this situation occurred,” Cunningham said. “We apologize to the NAIA, the member institutions of the Central States Football League and to our fans.”

            Information gathered through the investigation has prompted Northwestern to take the following actions:

• Northwestern will forfeit all games in which the ineligible player participated, including four victories;
• Northwestern will forfeit its Central States Football League championship title won in 2006; and
• The University will adopt new policies to strengthen the eligibility review process and the athletic department will provide university administration with its recommendations regarding the recruitment of student-athletes from high schools and transfer players from other institutions.

“We will take whatever steps are necessary to make sure that our athletics program complies fully with the rules of the NAIA and the expectations of this administration,” Cunningham said.

-NW-

Back to News Page