Oklahoma's 2005 wins reinstated

NORMAN, Okla. -- The NCAA reinstated eight wins to Oklahoma's 2005 football record, wins wiped out after players received money from a car dealership for work not performed.

The NCAA alleged that three Oklahoma players received about $17,000 in unearned wages. Last July the NCAA ruled that the players had been ineligible for the 2005 season, taking away the eight wins, including a win in the Holiday Bowl.

Oklahoma appealed, while it also dismissed two of the players, imposed scholarship reductions and restricted recruiting visits by coaches.

The NCAA's Infractions Appeals Committee determined that failure to detect the employment of a student-athlete wouldn't, in itself, constitute a separate violation of NCAA legislation. The NCAA also said Oklahoma cooperation in the investigation was a significant factor in its final report.

The ruling, announced Friday, however, upheld a violation that Oklahoma failed to follow procedures for monitoring student-athletes' employment.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.