Photo by Juan Ocampo

Northridge, CA – CSUN Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Brandon E. Martin announced today that CSUN will self-impose a post-season ban for the 2015-2016 men’s basketball team due to serious rules violations that first came to light in November 2014.

Martin has made it clear that CSUN’s mission is to continue the pursuit of comprehensive excellence, both on and off the court. As a result of the findings of an external investigation, the university has notified the NCAA that CSUN has instituted this self-imposed post-season ban. The timeline for final resolution rests with the NCAA.

“CSUN has a proud tradition of athletic excellence and an absolute commitment to the success of our student-athletes,” Martin said. “Our actions today demonstrate the values on which our athletic programs are built.”

In November 2014, Martin announced that CSUN elected to withhold several basketball players from competition due to potential violations of team rules and university policies until a full and thorough investigation was completed.

As soon as the matter was brought to CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison’s attention, she directed an external and comprehensive review be initiated. An independent investigator was appointed who conducted a thorough and detailed investigation. In August 2015, the university received the detailed investigation report and began the process of taking all appropriate actions, including all proper notifications related to the findings.

“When I was appointed President in March of 2012, I said in my first speech that I value integrity and try to model leadership with those values in mind,” Harrison said. “I understand the impact that a self-imposed post-season ban will have on our student-athletes and share their disappointment. While our decision was not taken lightly, as a university of higher learning, it is imperative that we demonstrate CSUN takes violations of team rules and university policies seriously. At the same time we are instituting this self-imposed penalty, I have directed that policies and procedures be comprehensively reviewed and revised for both student-athletes and staff to ensure full compliance with university and team rules.”

Matadors’ Basketball head coach Reggie Theus, said “I’m pleased that we are moving forward. As I’ve said all along, this incident was an opportunity for our student-athletes and the team to come together in a time of uncertainty. And that’s what they’ve done. While I am disappointed for our current men’s basketball players who are impacted, I look forward to moving past this matter, and I am confident the basketball program will be successful both on and off the court in the years ahead.”

Because of the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other federal and state privacy rights, CSUN cannot elaborate further about the nature of the violations.