OSU: Smith Clear Of NCAA Violations

Ohio State issued a release this afternoon stating that, after careful consideration, quarterback Troy Smith did not violate any NCAA rules with his participation in a football camp with Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair in June.

Ohio State issued a release this afternoon regarding the ongoing situation involving quarterback Troy Smith and his participation in a football camp in Tennessee in June.

There has been much speculation that Smith, who is already serving a two-game suspension for receiving illegal extra benefits, could face further sanctions for missing class time to attend the camp, sponsored by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair.

However, OSU's release claims that Smith did not violate NCAA rules. Here is the release:

Ohio State Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Heather Lyke said today quarterback Troy Smith did not commit an NCAA infraction by working at Steve McNair’s quarterback camp in June.

“We have spent nearly six weeks thoroughly reviewing all the information concerning Troy’s employment at Steve McNair’s camp,” said Lyke. “After talking to a number of key people and collecting the necessary documentation, we were able to determine there were no NCAA rule violations. We have been in contact with both the Big Ten and the NCAA and they concur completely with our findings.

“Anytime we receive information on a possible violation, we look into it thoroughly. While this incident only became public recently, we have been reviewing it since early June.”

Lyke noted that NCAA Bylaw 12.5.1 did not apply in Smith’s case.

“Troy’s participation in the camp was permissible student-athlete employment and is not a promotional activity,” she said.

Even though there were no Big Ten or NCAA rule violations committed by Smith, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel expressed disappointment over his quarterback’s decision to attend the camp at the expense of missing a class.

“Anytime a student-athlete misses a class, it is unacceptable,” said Tressel. “Troy understands how I feel about the situation and knows there will be consequences.”