OU law professor says SMU death penalty followed drastic factors

DALLAS (AP) _ Two decades later, the impact of the NCAA's death penalty on college sports remains under debate. <br/><br/>At SMU, the only place it's been imposed, the legacy is indisputable. <br/><br/>The

Saturday, September 22nd 2007, 12:41 pm

By: News On 6

DALLAS (AP) _ Two decades later, the impact of the NCAA's death penalty on college sports remains under debate.

At SMU, the only place it's been imposed, the legacy is indisputable.

The Associated Press reports the football program has yet to recover from cancellation of its 1987 season in a scandal over payments to players. SMU is 1-2 this season and 54-148-3 since the Mustangs resumed football in 1989.

David Swank is a University of Oklahoma law professor and former chair of the NCAA infractions committee.

Swank says it's a drastic penalty, and you have to have pretty drastic factors to consider a penalty of that type.

The NCAA imposed the death penalty on SMU after discovering that a banned booster paid 13 players thousands of dollars