COLUMBIA — It appears Missouri coach Frank Haith’s plea to get his NCAA misconduct charges thrown out has been rejected.
According to a report by The Miami Herald, which cited multiple sources, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions has denied motions by Haith and three other former Miami basketball coaches to dismiss the pending cases against them. The coaches filed the requests, citing the organization’s admission of misconduct in its own investigation of the Miami case.
The Herald said Temple law professor Eleanor Myers – the member of the Committee on Infractions who was charged with ruling on the motions – told the coaches she does not believe she has the authority to dismiss the case pre-hearing.
When reached Sunday, Columbia-based attorney Wally Bley, a lawyer for Haith, declined comment, citing the NCAA’s requests for confidentiality regarding the ongoing proceedings.
The Herald also reported that Haith, who received a notice of allegations from the NCAA in February, will now have the opportunity to defend himself against the charges in front of the Committee on Infractions on June 14-16 at the NCAA’s headquarters in Indianapolis.
According to the NCAA, Haith failed to alert the Miami athletic department after imprisoned booster Nevin Shapiro threatened to claim he had paid a recruit unless Haith or assistant Hake Morton provided money to Shapiro. The NCAA also says Haith failed to ensure that Shapiro’s claim lacked merit or disclose Morton’s financial dealings with Shapiro, and gave money to Morton that he then provided to Shapiro.
Haith has been accused of failure to monitor by the NCAA, which has resulted in recruiting restrictions and short suspensions for other coaches, including Baylor’s Scott Drew and Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun. He and the other former Miami coaches who received such notices are expected to be able to defend themselves in June in front of the committee.
An external review of the NCAA’s investigation of the Miami case released in February uncovered a messy trail of missteps and insufficient oversight by college sports’ governing body, and resulted in 20 percent of the gathered evidence being thrown out. This opened a window of opportunity for Miami and the accused to file motions to dismiss.
Haith can file another motion to dismiss at the hearing scheduled for this summer, where the Committee on Infractions will hear both sides and determine Haith’s fate. Should the latter play out, it could take a couple months for a ruling to come down.
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