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Mark Nelson |
(ECU SID Image) |
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Mark Nelson will
resign from his position as East Carolina's defensive ends and special
teams coach less than six months after joining the staff of first-year
head coach Ruffin McNeill.
Word came from
ECU Tuesday night that Nelson's departure comes with McNeill's
concurrence in the wake of an in-house investigation into possible
breaches of NCAA rules barring coaches from watching voluntary summer
workouts by players.
"I notified Coach
McNeill late this afternoon that our compliance office had been
investigating concerns about violations of NCAA rules involving
out-of-season practice — specifically a coach evaluating players during
normal summer activities that were supposed to be strictly voluntary,"
ECU athletic director Holland stated in a press release. "When a coach
observes these normal activities, the NCAA considers the activities to
be non-sanctioned out-of-season practice.
"Coach McNeill
called the coach in and they discussed these possible violations. That
coach, Mark Nelson, admitted to violations which are likely to be
secondary violations when a formal report is filed with the NCAA.
"Coach Nelson and
Coach McNeill agreed that these violations would be a distraction to the
team at this critical time of the year and Coach Nelson offered to step
down from his position. His offer to step down was accepted by Coach
McNeill pending negotiation of a severance agreement with the athletic
administration and the university."
East Carolina
will voluntarily notify the sport's governing body of the infractions.
"The ECU
Compliance Office will file a formal report of the violations and
cooperate fully with the NCAA," stated Holland.
A veteran of 23
years in coaching, Nelson has served stints with teams in the Canadian
Football League, Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Big East and
Conference USA. Before his arrival at ECU, Nelson was the defensive
coordinator and linebackers coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the
CFL.
McNeill expressed
his disappointment that the violations occurred and vowed that the ECU
football program will adhere rigidly to NCAA rules.
"This is
certainly an unfortunate development, but integrity will be the
foundation of our program," McNeill stated in the release. "We are going
to comply with the spirit and letter of NCAA rules at East Carolina. I
expect my players to do the right thing, and as leaders, ... I demand my
coaches to do the same. As head football coach, failure to comply with
NCAA rules will not be tolerated."
McNeill indicated
he will begin an immediate search for Nelson's replacement and may
consider a staff reorganization depending on the available candidates.
The Pirates'
preseason camp will begin August 5. Their opener with Tulsa in an
expanded and renovated Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium will be on Sunday, Sept. 5.