NCAA reviewing high-profile cases on appeal

The NCAA is currently reviewing two high-profile cases involving the University of North Carolina and Louisville. Both schools have appealed their cases. UNC has been accused of academic fraud, while Louisville is hot water over a sex-for-pay scandal.

If the collegiate governing body comes up with rulings upholding punishments initially slapped on these schools, it is possible that UNC could be stripped of two national titles. Student-athletes took “easy classes” to pad their grade point averages (GPA) and retain their eligibility to stay on the team. North Carolina has asserted that the NCAA has no jurisdiction over academic matters, just athletics.

Louisville has reached out to the Committee on Infractions (COI) and appealed penalties handed to them in the wake of allegations that a former staffer, Andre McGee contracted women to woo recruits through sexual acts. The committee has already laid out a five-game suspension of coach Rick Pitino for failure to properly oversee his basketball program. If the chips don’t land in Louisville’s favor during this appeals process, they could see their 2013 championhip stripped.

Both cases are worth keeping a close eye on as they will surely set precedents that shape the scope and breadth of the NCAA’s jurisdiction and abilities to govern as a punitive body.