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Probation status puts tight limits on UO's recruiters.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Bob Clark The Register-Guard

Oregon is on probation, but what does that really mean?

The Ducks are still eligible for bowl games. They won't lose any television appearances. They weren't penalized any scholarships, nor do they have any future limits on recruiting beyond those of any other school that hasn't been found in violation of NCAA rules.

`What probation generally means is if you make another mistake while you're on probation, the penalty for the ensuing violation will be a bit more severe than it would be otherwise,' said Mike Matthews, the Pac-10 assistant commissioner in charge of the league's compliance office. `A school on probation is supposed to have a heightened awareness' of possible violations.

So what's probation really amount to, in the world of college athletics?

Probation is all but automatic when a school is found to have committed a `major' infraction of NCAA rules, Matthews said, adding that `I'd be...