Oklahoma Reports Using 2 Nutritional Supplements Banned By NCAA

Tuesday, June 12th 2007, 7:43 pm

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Football players at Oklahoma were given two nutritional supplements banned by the NCAA before the school's compliance department detected the error and stopped the practice.

According to documents obtained Tuesday through an open records request by The Associated Press, Oklahoma self-reported to the Big 12 Conference that it committed a secondary violation of NCAA bylaws last fall by providing ``two nutritional supplements that contained impermissible substances.''

Oklahoma blamed one violation on a nutritional company inadvertently shipping a banned substance it identified as ``an identical product bearing the same name'' as a legal product that had been ordered by the university. In the second instance, Oklahoma reported the football program's strength and conditioning staff failed to review the ingredients of a new nutritional supplement.

Both supplements were given to athletes before the mistakes were detected during a routine check by compliance staff. The remainder of the supplements were returned to the company that provided them.

The report did not identify the supplements, what amount was used or how much was sent back. Oklahoma spokesman Kenny Mossman said he was unfamiliar with the supplements and was not able to comment on the situation.

NCAA bylaws allow schools to provide ``only nonmuscle-building nutritional supplements'' that give athletes additional calories or electrolytes.

The university reported strength coach Jerry Schmidt and assistant Scott Kolok ``are fully aware of and understand NCAA legislation regarding permissible supplements. However, in these two instances, they did not exercise caution and perform a proper review of the (ingredients) due to their assumption that the two supplements were permissible.''

Oklahoma, which won the Big 12 title last season before losing to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, is awaiting a final decision on an NCAA infractions case regarding extra payments given to former starting quarterback Rhett Bomar and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn through their employment at a Norman car dealership.

Oklahoma also reported that it committed a secondary violation when co-offensive coordinator Kevin Sumlin called a football prospect the same week coach Bob Stoops had telephoned him and another when three prospects were shown lockers with jerseys featuring the numbers they wore in high-school.

The university said the prospects involved in the violations all committed to play at other schools.

Oklahoma also provided the NCAA with an update on compliance changes prompted by an investigation into nearly 600 impermissible phone calls made by former men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff.

Oklahoma also reported a secondary violations by a women's volleyball coach who provided a media guide to a high school sophomore and a former track assistant who invited a track prospect to campus before he had been enrolled at the university. The track prospect was never allowed to attend Oklahoma.