MSU cited by NCAA for illegal recruiting techniques

quote:

---

Mississippi State’s marketing department might not be as clever… or competent… as they thought they were.

Mississippi State recently launched a recruiting campaign on billboards across the state. When asked about the billboards, school officials boasted that the billboards were "strategically placed." Notably, Mississippi State placed one such billboard in Oxford, home to a high school player heavily pursued by Mississippi State, Lafayette High's Jeremy Liggins.

It has been reported that the NCAA has contacted Mississippi State and told them that they must remove many of their billboards across the state as such billboards are prohibited by the NCAA.

As the billboard inviting readers to "play with the best" was placed in Liggins' home town and was only scheduled to be up until the end of January, just before signing day, the "strategy" was obvious... to recruit Liggins, illegally.

Thus, while State may claim to be "the best" on its billboards, it is obviously not the best at, well, reading. The rule that appears to be the basis for MSU's violation is NCAA Rule 13.4.3.1 which says:

Recruiting Advertisements. The publication of advertising or promotional material, by or on behalf of a member institution, designed to solicit the enrollment of a prospective student-athlete is not permitted … Accordingly, a member institution may not buy or arrange to have space in game programs or other printed materials published to provide information concerning the athletics participation or evaluation of prospective student-athletes (e.g., recruiting publications) for any purpose whatsoever, including advertisements ... Violations of this bylaw shall be considered institutional violations per Constitution 2.8.1; however, they shall not affect the prospective student-athlete’s eligibility.

It took about forty seconds to find that rule, by the way.

---