How did the Maryland football team improve from 2-10 in 2009 to 9-4 last year under departed coach Ralph Friedgen? They did it with practice. Too much of it, in fact.
The school announced on Saturday that it self-reported to the NCAA secondary violations from last fall, when the Terrapins practiced an average of 21 ¼ hours per week. The NCAA allows teams 20 hours when school is in session.
As a result, the Terps will be limited to 17 ½ hours this fall. According to the school, Maryland suggested the 2-for-1 penalty, and it was accepted by the NCAA. The penalty will be imposed during the first semester.
“We have already put processes and controls in place to better ensure things like this don’t happen in the future,” athletic director Kevin Anderson said in a statement. “It’s fundamental to me and the department that we operate with integrity and do things the right way as we move forward.”
The Terps also revealed to the NCAA that administrative interns attended some non-mandatory summer workouts prior to last season. They will be barred from preseason practice this year. Graduate assistants will be prohibited from participating in the first 16 practice sessions in August, also a 2-for-1 penalty.
This is the second wave of penalties to hit new coach Randy Edsall from the Friedgen era. In April, the Terps were docked three scholarships due to poor academic performance. Maryland football failed to hit its mandated academic performance rating of 925. Last month, Edsall announced that promising defensive tackle Zach Kerr and incoming freshman wideout Nigel King would not play in 2011 because of poor academic performance.
“We are disappointed that this happened,” Edsall said of the most recent violation. “It’s important to me that we always abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the NCAA. We have put a plan in place to deal with this situation, and I’m glad we can now begin to put this behind us.”
