Long Island University’s nickname might be the Sharks, but it was the NCAA that took a bite out of the school this week.
LIU was placed on a three-year probation by the NCAA following an investigation that found the university’s athletic programs had allowed more than 1,000 student-athletes who were ineligible, did not complete the required NCAA paperwork, or were not properly certified to compete or practice.
The infractions took place between the 2020-21 and 2023-24 academic years as a result of LIU failing “to monitor its eligibility certification process,” according to the negotiated resolution released by the NCAA on Monday.
In the end, 35 of the school’s athletic programs were impacted by the violations, and the NCAA is putting the university on probation for three years and vacating team and individual records in sports that had ineligible players during that span.
Among the teams specifically named in the resolution were LIU’s baseball, football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s golf, men’s soccer, softball, men’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, and women’s volleyball teams.
Additionally, LIU will face a “$30,000 fine, plus 3% of the budgets for the four highest-budgeted sports programs involved in violations” and a two-week ban on recruiting activities on each sport during the first year of the school’s probation.
A university spokesman confirmed to The Post that the penalties will not have any impact on the records or titles of the 2024-25 or 2025-26 seasons since there were no eligibility compliance issues at that point.
It’s notable considering the LIU men’s basketball team won the NEC Tournament title and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2013 this past season, and the softball team just won its second consecutive NEC regular season title on Monday.
The football team also captured its first FBS win last fall when it upset Eastern Michigan.
The infractions occurred in part because of the merger of the athletic programs at LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post, resulting in one compliance staff member being responsible for overseeing the eligibility for student athletes involved in 35 programs.
“The athletics department was split between two locations, with half at the Brooklyn campus and half at the Post location, resulting in communications inefficiencies between coaches and compliance staff about team rosters,” the negotiated resolution stated.
“In total, initial eligibility certifications for 240 student-athletes were not completed before they practiced,” the report also said. “Of those, 176 competed impermissibly and/or received actual and necessary expenses while ineligible or not certified. An additional 658 student-athletes competed and 111 practiced without having required forms completed.”
The report does note that LIU self-reported the infraction to the NCAA, and a spokesman for the university said the school had “identified these eligibility certification matters through its compliance systems during a routine, university-wide review.”
“The issues date back several years and occurred during a period of operational disruption amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” the spokesman said. “The NCAA recognized the University’s collaborative approach throughout the review, and we worked closely with the NCAA while fully cooperating at every stage of the process.
“LIU maintains a strong, institution-wide culture of compliance. LIU’s current athletic compliance leadership and staff bring decades of Division I experience and are supported by comprehensive oversight systems. We are confident in our compliance structure and remain fully committed to operating with integrity and in full compliance with NCAA standards.”