Letter from Jeremy Foley to the Gator Boosters

 

Dear Gator Fans:

 

Some of you may have heard me say on occasion that the actions of boosters can affect the entire athletics program. However, for every time that message has been spoken and heard, there is a chance some might not have heard it or realize the damage just ONE person can cause to a program.

 

It is with that in mind that I'm attaching a recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times regarding NCAA sanctions being placed on an athletics program because of the actions of ONE booster. I'm not using Illinois as an example for any other reason than to show the damage the action of one booster alone can cause.

 

As you can read in the article, a booster provided improper benefits totaling just over $2,200 to a football player. The NCAA has classified this as a major violation and handed down a one-year probation penalty to the institution.

 

The chilling effect of the decision is this: the athletics department discovered the violation, self-reported the violation, investigated the violation and acted on the violation.

 

The end result: a major violation and one-year probation. The classification of a major violation is important in the eyes of the NCAA because stiffer penalties are handed out to repeat offenders.

 

Again, I can't stress enough to each and every one of you the importance of continuing to "Ask Before You Act" in the area of NCAA rules. We have a number of materials that we produce to educate you throughout the year, including: a 12-page Guide to Compliance; a compliance page on our official website, Gatorzone.com; a semi-annual newsletter that is mailed to each booster. In addition, we plan to include compliance updates in our GatorBytes weekly e-mail newsletter.

 

Please feel free to contact myself, Jamie McCloskey in our compliance department, or any member of our athletics department if you have any questions or need any additional information about NCAA rules.

 

Thanks again for your continued support and attention in this area of our program.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jeremy N. Foley

Director of Athletics, University of Florida