Missouri submitted its appeals brief to the NCAA on Monday, taking the next step in attempting to limit or overturn what it believes are overly harsh sanctions in the case of a rogue former tutor.
The school argued in the 64-page brief to the NCAA's appeals committee that the penalties handed down Jan. 31 are contrary to NCAA precedent, were not supported or appropriate given the nature of the allegations, and could have a chilling effect on future NCAA enforcement.
The university launched its own investigation after learning the tutor had made statements about academic fraud on social media. The tutor later acknowledged she completed work for athletes to help them pass classes.
The NCAA barred the football, baseball and softball teams from postseason play for a year. The athletic department also was placed on probation along with numerous other restrictions.
“We believe that the penalties our programs received were a clear abuse of the committee’s discretion based upon existing NCAA bylaws,” Missouri athletic director Jim Sterk said in a statement.