Missouri Southern on probation for football violations
MARGARET STAFFORD
Associated Press (AP) — The NCAA has placed Missouri Southern State’s football program on three years of probation after finding that its former coach acted as if compliance regulations did not apply to the program. The former coach, Jeff Sims, was hired by the school in Joplin, Missouri, shortly after one of his players at Garden City (Kansas) Community College died of heat stroke in 2018. The NCAA said in a report released Friday that Sims set a tone within the program that NCAA rules did not matter. Sims was fired from Missouri Southern during his second season in 2020. Besides probation, Missouri Southern also agreed to a reduction in football scholarships and a $5,000 fine.