Headlinin': NCAA nixes Oklahoma workouts, puts Tennessee on notice

Making the morning rounds.

This morning, we present an NCAA bureaucracy play, in three acts:

• The Ghost of NCAA Present. Oklahoma has been required to give players a week off from offseason workouts as penance for a series of secondary violations involving said workouts, as reported to the NCAA by the school. Specifically, OU admitted that multiple assistant coaches had improperly questioned players about a lack of participation in "voluntary" workouts, and that some players were exceeding the weekly eight-hour limit for offseason activities. (In addition to a handful of ubiquitous recruiting infractions over verboten text messages and phone calls.) The compliance department was apparently motivated to report the infractions after an unnamed player refused to sign a weekly practice log and reported defensive backs coach Willie Martinez for questioning him about missing a workout. [Associated Press]

• The Ghost of NCAA Future. Multiple outlets report that Tennessee is expected to release a notice of alleged NCAA violations in football and basketball sometime today, in the former case dating back to the Lane Kiffin era – you know, if you can count 2009 as an "era." Specifically, we know the NCAA has looked seriously into two possible infractions, involving a) The deployment of a few overly friendly "hostesses" to games featuring high-profile recruits, and b) An improper workout of a recruit conducted by then-assistant Ed Orgeron in 2009, which could be tacked on to the spree of secondary violations on Kiffin's watch that spring. Then there are the unresolved allegations against Orgeron for reportedly trying to poach Vol recruits the night the Kiffin clan skipped town for USC in January 2010, and whatever investigators were questioning Bryce Brown about when Kiffin's most hyped signee left Knoxville himself a few months later.

The big question: Will potential penalties follow Kiffin and Orgeron to USC? The NCAA has always levied its wrath (however mild) against the institution, letting departed coaches off scott-free save their reputation, but there are hints that it may be looking to set a new precedent with Kiffin and his scofflaw reputation. [Fox Sports, ESPN]

• The Ghost of NCAA Past. It remains firmly in the "rumor" category, but the back channels were buzzing Tuesday with word that HBO's Real Sports is pursuing a story on cheating in the SEC, which could include at least one former player, Auburn defensive end Stanley McClover, admitting to accepting illegal benefits from an assistant coach. Another player, former Alabama and LSU safety Chris Keys, is reportedly willing to talk about payment he received in college, as well, though both cases are well outside of the NCAA's statute of limitations for opening a new investigation. [Chuck Oliver, Sports by Brooks]

• Gotta support the team. Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring (right) was not demoted, according to head coach Frank Beamer, and in fact it was Stinespring's own idea to give up play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain, due to O'Cain's daily relationship with rising starter Logan Thomas. "I think meeting with the guy every day, sometimes you get more in tune with what your quarterback likes in certain situations. He knows why you're calling things in certain situations," Beamer said Tuesday. "I just think it's kind of more open in that regard, so that's the reason. And Coach Stinespring was the guy to decide it, and that's the reason we ended up going that way." [Virginian-Pilot]

• The rap sheet. In other Oklahoma news, defensive tackle Stacy McGee – a regular starter last year as a third-year sophomore – was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession on Sunday evening, when he was pulled over in Norman with a joint and a grinder in view of the officer. McGee was allowed to leave as part of a sign-and-release program, which is lucky for him, considering the alternatives in one of the most weed-unfriendly states in the Union. [The Oklahoman]

Quickly… Nebraska plans to "start over" on offense. … How a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons could affect the ACC and SEC championship games. … A report from Stanford's first spring practice under new head coach David Shaw. ("It felt normal.") … Tennessee players are still treating departed safety Janzen Jackson like part of the team. … Footage of Utah linebacker Nai Fotu's weekend arrest for drunk driving. … On the Pac10/12's ongoing television negotiations with Fox. … And Iowa releases 41 pages of internal e-mails concerning its public response to the hospitalization of 13 players last month, revealing nothing in particular.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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