Length of process frustrates Dobbins

Patience has about run out for Southeast Missouri State president Dr. Ken Dobbins.

Informed this week that his scheduled appearance to make an appeal before the NCAA Committee on Infractions has been postponed to next spring, Dobbins on Wednesday fired a letter off to the committee's director expressing his disappointment and frustration with the failure to conclude the now-22-month-old NCAA investigation into the women's basketball program.

"This matter has been in the system for too long and to the detriment of our institution and athletics program," Dobbins wrote to Shepard Cooper.

The university released the letter to the Southeast Missourian along with the NCAA's notice of additional penalties in response to a recent request for documents pertaining to the investigation.

In the letter, Dobbins outlined the university's steps, taken in conjunction with the Ohio Valley Conference and the NCAA enforcement staff, since he first asked for an inquiry from the OVC commissioner's office on Jan. 20, 2006.

"Consequently, for the past at least 18 months, a cloud has hovered over the institution's program and questions remain about any potential NCAA penalties that would be imposed on it," Dobbins wrote. "This has hampered the institution's recruiting efforts."

But the end of the process still could be at least six months away.

Dobbins, Southeast athletic director Don Kaverman, OVC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher and Chuck Smrt of The Compliance Group, which conducted the investigation for the OVC, had planned to travel to Indianapolis to appear before the committee Saturday and appeal the additional penalties levied against Southeast Missouri State in an expedited hearing.

"We wanted to get it over with," Dobbins said Wednesday.

But all parties involved had to agree to the expedited hearing. B.J. Smith, who coached the Southeast program in the four-year period from 2002-03 to 2005-06 being targeted by the NCAA, has requested a full hearing, according to Dobbins' letter.

"Since he is not an employee of the university, he has an option for an expedited or full hearing, and both parties have to agree," Dobbins said. "He wants a full hearing."

Dobbins said Smith is the subject of additional, undisclosed sanctions from the NCAA.

Smith said Wednesday that based on advice from his attorney he could not comment on those sanctions nor other aspects of the case until it was resolved.

Dobbins' disappointment stemmed from "several delays regarding this case," he wrote, and the inability to get on the agenda before the meetings set for April or June 2008.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions informed the university in October that it was imposing additional penalties for the violations reported to and accepted by the committee the previous month. The additional penalties were vacating the wins for the women's basketball program from 2002-03 through 2005-06 and removing from the records Southeast's appearance in the 2006 women's basketball tournament.

After the full hearing to appeal, the committee's report would be released two to three months later, which would be about two years after the preliminary report conducted by The Compliance Group was released by the university on June 30, 2006.

"That's a long time to get adjudication for something like this," Dobbins said.

"Is it fair to these student-athletes and the ones we're trying to recruit?" he said. "The process has taken too long."