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One Big Ten school could be forced to vacate four seasons worth of wins

Bad times for Rutgers

Rutgers hasn't been overly successful on the football field in recent years but that hasn't stopped the NCAA from calling about potential sanctions. In fact, the Scarlet Knights responded to an NCAA Notice of Allegations this week and put forth some suggestions by which it would like to sanction itself. Those included some recruiting restrictions and a one-year probation but the hammer might drop in another fashion.

NJ.com brings word that Rutgers might have to vacate four seasons worth of victories from 2012 to 2015 and it sheds light in this way:

In its Notice of Allegations issued on Dec. 19, 2016, the NCAA said 16 football players who tested positive for banned substances were permitted to compete without being subjected to the corrective or disciplinary actions mandated by the institution's drug-testing policy over the course of four football seasons (2012 through 2015).

In its response, Rutgers "agreed'' that "evidence supports'' that former coach Kyle Flood, former director of sports medicine Dr. Robert Monaco and the university "failed to follow institutional drug-testing policies and protocol resulting in 16 football student-athletes not being subjected to prescribed corrective or disciplinary measures.''

In addition, Rutgers conceded that 15 players had initial positive tests that "were not appropriately identified by Monaco'' and "14 student-athletes were permitted to compete without being subject to timely corrective or disciplinary actions required by the policy.''

Two of those seasons, 2012 and 2014, included bowl trips and, in total, the Scarlet Knights claimed 27 victories while seemingly deploying players that should not have been on the field. In short, the report indicates that Rutgers won't be taking its own victories away but they also realize that the NCAA could do just that.

NCAA legal documents are often difficult to follow but the potential vacating wins is never fun for the program associated with it.