More information is trickling out about the stunning news that broke earlier this afternoon that Howard University had suspended all of its athletic programs.
The Washington City Paper broke the story and has been on top of it since it came out. Here's their latest update on the situation:
A member of the Howard bowling team says a senior athletic administrator told the team the university is investigating problems with textbook vouchers given to athletes. According to the bowler, the university allowed athletes to spend money that they didn't use on books on whatever they wanted, a possible violation of NCAA rules. The bowler says the university is demanding that any money spent improperly be repaid to Howard and that athletes won't be able to register for classes until they clear up the matter.
The university, which hasn't yet responded to requests for detailed information, has not confirmed that account.
While we don't pretend to know every NCAA bylaw, if true, that would seem to be a violation of NCAA rules, though a typically chintzy one. Stay tuned for more as this story develops.
Update: The City Paper has interviewed another university's compliance officer, who believes that there's more to this than just textbooks.
For [Howard] to self-impose complete suspension, they must not have been doing anything in compliance.