NCAA to force Alabama to vacate football victories

The NCAA today will announce the Alabama football team must vacate all wins from 2005-06 under former coach Mike Shula and 2007 under current coach Nick Saban that included players involved in violations of textbook disbursement policy, The Birmingham News reported this morning. That number is at least 10 victories, the newspaper reported. Alabama will not have to give up its 2007 victory over Tennessee or its bowl victory from that season. Since LSU defeated the Crimson Tide in football in each of the seasons, the Tigers’ record is not affected. LSU beat Alabama 16-13 in overtime at Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2005, 28-14 at Baton Rouge in 2006 and 41-34 at Tuscaloosa in 2007. The ruling, which will be announced at 2 p.m., also includes the NCAA placing Alabama on three more years of probation. Alabama also will pay a fine. The penalties don’t include scholarship losses for football, the sources said. The university reported the violations after uncovering them during the 2007 football season, when five players were suspended. The university appeared before the Committee on Infractions in February. It admitted the infractions occurred in several sports and that it didn’t adequately monitor its distribution of textbooks to athletes.