What does SMU death penalty mean? From 1987 NCAA scandal for the ACC championship

Before Chappell Roan Fans roared the pink pony club, there was another pony club that used to delight Texans.

The Smu Mustangs were once a dominant football program before the “death penalty” of the NCAA stopped their future.

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Now SMU has returned to her championship after more than 30 years. This Saturday, the Mustangs No. 8 against Clemson will take place in 17th place in the ACC championship game and an offer for College Football Playoff.

The Mustangs went 11-1 this season and were a perfect 8: 0 in their first season in the ACC.

Smu autumn was well documented. The documentary “Pony Exess” by ESPN of 30 for 30 series tells the story of how the SMU received the “death penalty” after dominating the Southwest conference. The Smu Alumni and Star, which Erik Dickerson was behind, often expressed his disappointment on his former college about how unknown the football program was.

Here is what you know about the “death penalty” of the NCAA and how Smu football recovered.

What is the death penalty in NCAA football?

According to NCAA.org, the “death penalty” is a sanction that the NCAA can impose on a collegiate sports program that can use the sports program of a school for at least one season due to severe and repeated regulations.

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Here is what the punishments are:

• The ban on some or all external competitions in sports, which are involved in the recent major violations of one or two sports seasons and the ban on all coaching employees in this sport (direct or indirectly) in a coaching activities at the institution during this time.

• The elimination of all initial grants in AID and recruitment activities in sports, which is involved in the recent major violation of a period of two years.

• All institutional employees, the member of the NCAA Board of Directors, the leadership, legislative, the President or Board of Directors, the Executive Committee or other association authorities, have to withdraw. All institutional representatives are not justified for a period of four years.

• The institution must give up its voting rights for a period of four years.

Why did the SMU receive the death penalty?

On February 25, 1987, the NCAA announced that the SMU will receive the death penalty that canceled the following season and would revoke numerous scholarships from the program.

SMU was punished in a scandal known as a pay-for-play. The college was put on probation five times in order to enable improvements.

According to the Dallas Morning News, a NCAA examination discovered that in 1985 and 1986 thirteen players received a total of 61,000 US dollars from a slush fund delivered by a booster. Payments in the range of 50 to 725 US dollars per month began only one month after the SMU was put on its last probation.

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Smu did not play football in the 1987 and 1988 seasons. The private college lost several recruits. The recruitment outside the campus was banned until August 1988, and potential recruits were not allowed to make paid campus visits until the beginning of the academic year 1988/89.

How bad was SMU after his death penalty?

Very bad. In the 33 seasons after his return to the game in 1989, Smu put together a record of 136-242-3. The Mustangs only appeared in another Bowl game in 2009, played Bowl in Hawaii and did not secure another conference championship until 2023.

Why is SMU good now?

The players are now legally able to be paid by names, image and similarity offers.

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It refers to the rights of athletes to make money with the use of their personal brand. This can include activities such as notes, sponsorship, appearances, social media advertising campaigns and signing autographs.

Before the NCAA passed the NIL guideline, student athletes were not allowed to receive compensation for such activities, but the new rules now enable them to monetize their fame without their authorization to do college sport.

In the 2023-24 season, the university set a donation record of $ 159 million.

This article was originally published by Austin American Statesman: Smu Football comeback comes from the death penalty to the ACC championship