INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The NCAA announced today that due to an administrative oversight in the transfer process, Bemidji State University junior defensive back Anthony Ragsdale (Bremerton, Wash.) has been declared ineligible.
The penalty issued by the NCAA for playing an ineligible player is the nullification of all games in which that player participated. The BSU student-athlete in this situation competed in nine games before University officials became aware of his possible ineligibility and the coaching staff immediately withheld him from competition pending the NCAA’s decision on the matter.
The nullification of games is not the forfeiture of contest. It is a penalty assessed to the team’s winning percentage, strength of schedule index and other selection criteria used in the NCAA Championship selection process, which directly impacts the team’s opportunity for postseason competition. In team sports, a team’s won-lost record that falls below .500 after adjustments for nullification(s) is ineligible for championship selections to fill at-large berths.
The penalties for using an ineligible student-athlete during the 2009-10 season are as follows: Overall win-loss percentage 0.025; Division II win-loss percentage 0.026; Division II average Opponent win-loss percentage 0.010; In Region win-loss percentage 0.026.
When this penalty is assessed to the Bemidji State’s 8-3 overall record (.727 winning percentage), although BSU does not drop below the .500 mark (.502), it effectively knocks the Beavers out of post season contention due to other strong team performances within Super Region Three and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
The nullification process penalizes only the institution the ineligible student-athlete represents, it does not adversely affect any opponents of the institution.
The University became aware of an administrative oversight in the transfer process that led to inaccurately deeming Ragsdale eligible for the 2009-10 season. University officials immediately investigated the matter and forwarded a report to the NCAA. The report included the results of the investigation as well as suggested policy and procedural changes to better manage future student-athlete transfers.
Bemidji State has no further comment on the situation.
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