Missouri assistant basketball coach Rich Daly has joined a circle much more exclusive than the Final Four - he appealed to the NCAA Infractions Committee and won.
Acting on new information gleaned from airplane logs, the committee voted unanimously to clear Daly of the unethical conduct charge brought when Missouri received a 2-year basketball probation in 1990.Daly appealed the NCAA's finding after committee members charged him with unethical conduct because he was unable to recall events surrounding an alleged recruiting trip to Detroit.
The NCAA reversed itself after discovering that Daly's name was not on a flight log in question. Head coach Norm Stewart's name was. The new information explained why Daly may have been unable to recall events with more certainty since he probably never made the trip, the committee ruled.
Missouri will still serve its original sentence for recruiting violations, including one year of postseason sanctions and recruiting restrictions by the coaching staff. In addition, the school can give only one scholarship this year.
"The circumstances surrounding the explanation have satisfied (the commmittee) that what did take place . . . do not rise to the level of unethical conduct," infraction committee chairman Alan Williams said in a news conference. "What that means is we remain concerned about the total appearances of himself and other members of the staff. Their inability to recall things."
The NCAA did not require Missouri to take any action against Daly, but Missouri Chancellor Haskell Monroe had previously said he would review a finding of unethical conduct as most serious.
Daly and fellow assistant Bob Sundvold submitted their resignations effective March 1. Stewart has indicated he would keep Daly if Daly was cleared by the NCAA. A university spokesman said Daly would not be immediately available for comment and his legal representatives in Columbia, Mo., were also said to be unavailable.