USC Placed on Probation; Football, Swimming Scholarships Cut

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 24. THE NCAA placed the University of Southern California athletic program on probation for two years and cut scholarships yesterday because tutors wrote papers for three athletes three times in the late 1990s, according to an Associated Press story written by Louinn Lota.

According to Lota, the NCAA and the university refused to identify the athletes — two football players and a woman diver. The diver was expelled in 1997, right after the academic fraud was discovered. Two tutors were fired while the third quit. It was unclear if the football players were punished.

"The probation covers the entire athletic department. Two football scholarships for the 2002-03 academic year were cut and half a scholarship for the women's swimming and diving team was canceled," Lota wrote.

The school said it had changed the athlete tutor program in an effort to prohibit more fraud, according to the AP story..

The diver turned in a rough draft of a paper for a 1997 writing class handwritten by the tutor, then submitted the final paper in her own handwriting, according to Lota.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use