Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse officials have been invited to an NCAA hearing at the end of the month as part of a multi-year inquiry into the SU athletic department, two sources told syracuse.com.
The hearing in front of the NCAA's Committee on Infractions signifies the lengthy investigation into Syracuse is complete. It will serve as one of the final steps before determining whether the school has committed NCAA violations and if it will be punished.
Emily James, a spokesperson for the NCAA, said she can't comment on specific or possible cases, but when investigations necessitate hearings, they involve at least one Level I or Level II violation.
The hearing means Syracuse faces accusations of a "severe" or "significant" breach of conduct.
James said cases vary so significantly that she could not provide a baseline for a possible punishment for Syracuse. She also said most cases are resolved within 30 or 60 days of a hearing, but schools can appeal or new issues can arise.
When asked on Thursday whether he would be attending the hearing, Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim walked away from a reporter. Athletic director Daryl Gross also declined to comment on if he would attend.
"As my usual practice, and as you know, I don't comment on NCAA matters," Gross said via text message.
Kevin Quinn, Syracuse's senior vice president for public affairs, also would not discuss the upcoming NCAA hearing.
"As we have said before, we are working closely and cooperatively with the NCAA as part of an inquiry," Quinn said in an email. "We respect and are honoring the NCAA process and look forward to resolution."
Among those usually invited to hearings, James said, are school presidents, athletic directors, compliance officials, individuals named in allegations and lawyers for both the school and individuals.
It is not clear if the investigation is limited to the men's basketball team or includes other athletic programs at Syracuse.
» A timeline of the NCAA's investigation | How will the hearing work?
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim has a talk with Fab Melo in the Orange's game against UConn in 2011.
In his upcoming biography, "Bleeding Orange," Boeheim acknowledges the investigation, which was reported previously by The Post-Standard and CBS Sports. In his book, written by Jack McCallum, Boeheim said that part of the inquiry involved former player Fab Melo's academic record.
"We suspended him for three games," Boeheim wrote. "After that, we were under the impression that he could appeal and do some academic work to get himself eligible. He did that work. But then there arose a question about how he had gotten eligible, and he was declared ineligible again, right before the NCAA tournament. The issue is extremely complicated, and at any rate I can't really go into it because it is part of an ongoing NCAA investigation."
Melo was suspended in 2012. Former teammate James Southerland was suspended briefly for academics during the 2013 season but returned to the team. Sources told The Post-Standard previously that suspension was also a result of the NCAA investigation into the basketball program's academic records and athletic director Daryl Gross attributed them to increased oversight.
Since the inquiry began, Syracuse has restructured the athletic department's academic services department. The department is responsible for keeping athletes academically eligible. The restructuring included at least three employees changing jobs.
Syracuse also created a job for an assistant provost for student-athlete academic services but said it was not related to an investigation.
In March of 2013, CBS Sports reported that the school had received an official letter of inquiry, signifying the start of an investigation. CBS reported that the investigation focused on the basketball program but also included the football program.
At that point, NCAA investigators had already been looking into the athletic department for more than a year.
"The transgressions were described as both major and wide-ranging in nature," the CBS Sports report said.
Investigators who had spoken to Syracuse employees looked into the academic record of Melo, James Southerland and the school's investigation of an alleged sexual assault that involved three Syracuse players in 2007.
Syracuse acknowledged in 2012 that it had self-reported possible violations of the school's drug policy within the basketball program to the NCAA. Those accusations were also being investigated.
"Speaking of being on the defensive, that's the position you are put in when the NCAA investigates your program, the present state of affairs at Syracuse," Boeheim wrote in his biography. "You're not allowed to say anything, but meanwhile details of the investigation, some of them misinformed, make their way into the newspapers. You can't defend yourself and the investigation drags on and on. It's wearing."
Staff writers John O'Brien and Mike Waters contributed to this story.