NCAA Places North Dakota on Probation for Tampering Violations

The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions released findings on Friday regarding the North Dakota football program. The committee determined that tampering violations occurred within the program. These violations were attributed to actions taken by assistant coach Travis Stepps.

According to the committee, the specific violation occurred when Travis Stepps recruited a player from another school. This contact was a violation of NCAA rules because the player had not entered the transfer portal at the time. The committee emphasized that recruiting a player who has not entered the portal constitutes a violation.

The findings resulted in penalties for the university. North Dakota was handed a one-year probation as a consequence of the violations. The committee outlined these penalties in their announcement on Friday.

There was agreement regarding the facts of the case among the involved parties. The committee stated that North Dakota, Travis Stepps, and head coach Eric Schmidt agreed that the violations occurred. Additionally, the NCAA enforcement staff agreed with the determination of the violations.