Notre Dame is reportedly investigating four players for academic fraud.
Sources said four members of the football team were interviewed by school officials Friday: receiver DaVaris Daniels, defensive back KeiVarae Russell, defensive lineman Ishaq Williams and linebacker Kendall Moore. The probe also is looking at non-athletes, sources said.
The situation was described to Yahoo Sports as a potential “honor code violation,” which could result in the ineligibility of the players. Under NCAA protocol, if any fraud that occurred impacted players’ eligibility the school could ultimately vacate victories. Both Daniels and Russell were significant players during Notre Dame’s 2012 season, when the Irish went 12-0 before losing to Alabama in the BCS Championship Game.
Daniels, Russell and Williams are listed as starters according to Notre Dame's depth chart on Rivals.com.
Daniels had 49 catches for 745 yards and five touchdowns in 2013. He's Notre Dame's leading returning receiver. If he's unable to play in 2014, the Irish's leading returner at receiver would be Chris Brown, who had 15 catches for 209 yards in 2013. In 2012, Daniels had 490 yards receiving. He was unable to enroll at Notre Dame for the spring semester after he had a GPA below 2.0 in the fall semester. He was readmitted for summer classes.
Russell had 51 tackles and an interception in 2013. In 2012, he started all 13 of Notre Dame's games as a freshman and had two interceptions. Williams had 17 tackles a year ago and had 1.5 sacks.
Notre Dame recently named Everett Golson as its starting QB. Golson, who was Notre Dame's starter in 2012, missed the 2013 season after he had cheated on a test. He reapplied for admission to Notre Dame after the fall semester and was back with school for the spring 2014 semester.
If Notre Dame is forced to vacate any victories as a result of an investigation, the Irish would be the first team to appear in the BCS title game to vacate victories since USC. In 2010, the NCAA mandated that the Trojans vacate wins in games that Reggie Bush participated in, including the 2005 Orange Bowl. The NCAA also handed the Trojans a loss of scholarships and a bowl ban.
North Carolina was punished by the NCAA in 2012. The NCAA banned UNC from postseason play that season and also limited scholarships because of impermissible benefits and academic impropriety under fomer coach Butch Davis.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Three of four Notre Dame players investigated for academic fraud are starters
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