No football team that currently belongs to the ACC has received even a modest penalty from the NCAA for what the organization deemed significant rules violations.
Below is a list of programs cited for major violations since the NCAA made its strongest statement yet against cheating, the SMU "death penalty" case in 1987. ESPN.com rates the severity of those penalties on a 0-5 scale, with 5 as most severe.
Florida State
Year: 1996
Violation: On four occasions, Seminoles staff failed to adequately respond to information about the possible involvement of players with sports agents. Prospective agents allegedly took several of them on a reported $6,000 shopping spree at a Foot Locker store. There also was a dinner outing and reports of small cash payments.
Major penalties: None.
Severity of sanctions: 0
Notable: Although violations were deemed major, school avoided major penalties because there was no evidence that rules were broken with school's knowledge or participation.
Virginia
Year: 1993
Violation: Booster club allegedly provided $3,059 in no-interest loans to athletes. Grad assistant coaches received excessive compensation.
Major penalties: None. Reduction from 88 to 86 total scholarships for 1993 and from 85 to 83 in 1994.
Severity of sanctions: 1
Notable: Case was significant only because it embarrassed NCAA executive director Dick Schultz, who had been Virginia's athletics director. Schultz announced his resignation from his NCAA job five days later after an audit contended that he knew about the loans.
Clemson
Year: 1990
Violation: On at least two occasions in 1985, a player allegedly received between $50 and $70 with the idea of distributing it to another player. The committee also said that the player allegedly received $50 from a booster in '87, and prospects also were given clothes and impermissible car rides.
Major penalties: None.
Severity of sanctions: 0
Notable: Investigation led to resignation of Danny Ford, who had led Clemson to the national championship in 1981 but was head coach during the era of the violations.
