Drury penalized by NCAA for athletic violations

Last edited 11:02 a.m., Aug. 17, 2023 [Editor's note: The provisions of the school's probation have been updated.]

Drury University has been penalized by the National Collegiate Athletics Association for athletic violations.

The Springfield school was cited by the NCAA, a nonprofit that regulates student athletics, for failing to properly certify amateur and academic eligibility for 50 student-athletes across 14 sports, according to a news release. Probation is among the penalties the school is facing.

"The school and enforcement staff agreed that the violations in this case occurred when the former director of compliance at the school — who felt overwhelmed by her responsibilities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic — did not complete required eligibility checklists or check for initial eligibility and amateurism certification, as required by NCAA rules," NCAA officials said in the release.

The release does not name the former director of compliance. A separate news release from Drury also does not identify the person, and a spokesperson did not provide the name.

"We discovered this issue soon after I was hired at Drury, and we immediately worked to comply with the NCAA and the (Great Lakes Valley Conference) to address the issues at hand," said Nyla Milleson, vice president and director of athletics, in the Drury release. "I understand the NCAA decision and we will continue to work through their guidelines to ensure this never happens again."

Milleson was hired for the role last year. She succeeded Corey Bray, who left for a role at Oklahoma City University.

The NCAA announced it reached an agreement with Drury to impose a three-year probationary period that involves educating all athletics department personnel on recruitment and certification rules; submitting a report by the end of September that establishes the compliance and education program; filing annual compliance reports; informing student-athlete recruits of the probation; and publicizing the nature of the school's infractions. Drury also is subject to a $5,000 fine and a provision that will see the university vacate wins and records that occurred when student-athletes competed while ineligible. Drury's release indicates men's swimming and diving will forfeit their 2021 Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and their 2021 NCAA-II national runner-up finish.

"We take full responsibility for all errors that led to these penalties, and I deeply apologize to our students whose athletic legacies have been impacted by this situation," Drury President John Beuerlein said in the school's release. "The Drury Athletics Department leadership addressed this issue the moment it was uncovered, and I applaud their swift action. While this was a product of omission rather than commission, as an institution, we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards of excellence and integrity."