Seminoles Dodge Bullet As Ncaa Issues Ruling

Florida State’s football program received good news from the NCAA Tuesday, just two weeks before high school players can sign national commitments for college scholarships.

The NCAA found no major violations or lack of institutional control after a yearlong investigation into a 1993 incident where several Seminole football players accepted free merchandise from a local sporting goods store.

“The university satisfied its responsibility by declaring the involved student-athletes ineligible when it reasonably had information to take such actions,” wrote Dave Berst, the NCAA’s assistant executive director for enforcement and eligibility appeals.

However, school officials including football coach Bobby Bowden will meet next month to discuss a secondary violation outlined by the NCAA in a letter of official inquiry.

“I am pleased that we are coming to the conclusion of the NCAA’s investigation,” Bowden said. “I am also very pleased that the NCAA’s report showed no major violations, although we must address the allegation of a secondary violation.”

The violation concerned the school’s monitoring of sports agents’ activities around Florida State athletes between the fall of 1992 and January 1994.

The school would not be banned from bowls or television appearances for a secondary violation but could face a fine or loss of a few scholarships.

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