ORONO – To some, there had been a ray of hope.

However, the hope turned to realism Thursday when administrators, coaches and players at the University of Maine learned that the school’s appeal to the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee was denied on both counts.

In a release sent to the university, the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee said that the lack of control exercised over the hockey program by coach Shawn Walsh overshadowed the good marks the university received from them for the school’s thorough self-investigation, self-reporting of violations and corrective measures.

As the result of an NCAA probe and an in-house investigation handled by the Kansas City law firm of Bond, Schoeneck and King, the university had been assessed numerous penalties on July 31, including a four-year probation.

To go with penalties assessed by the university, the NCAA had tagged the school with 12 more penalties. Two were appealed: a ban on postseason play for the hockey team this season and a reduction of 13 football scholarships for 1997.

Maine administrators felt when those penalties were both inappropriate and excessive compared to others handed out to other institutions for similar violations.

The NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee disagreed, and upheld the NCAA Committee on Infractions’ findings.

UMaine President Fred Hutchinson and Athletic Director Sue Tyler suspended Walsh for a year without pay beginning December 24, 1995.

Tyler said Thursday the Committee on Infractions sent a mixed message about the decision to suspend Walsh rather than fire him.

“In July, they said we took enough action against Shawn,” said Tyler, who felt the Committee on Infractions changed its tune after Maine announced it was going to appeal its sanctions.

Would firing Walsh have enabled the Bears to participate in the postseason this season after the university had imposed a postseason ban on last year’s team?

“I really don’t know. It’s hard to second-guess yourself backwards,” said Tyler.

“We did the right thing when we did it,” insisted Tyler. “Based on the evidence I saw, I still think we did the right thing.”

The Committee on Infractions ruled July 31 that Walsh did not violate the NCAA’s bylaws on ethical conduct.

Hutchinson agreed with Tyler and questioned the consistency of the Committee on Infractions.

“Remember, at that time, the committee formally concluded that the severe penalties the university itself imposed on Shawn Walsh were appropriate and adequate,” Hutchinson said in a prepared statement. “There was no indication given in that report that the addition of penalties by the NCAA was related to Shawn. I am concerned about the fairness of this after-the-fact statement on the coach and students on his team.

“It is disheartening that the Appeals Committee would accept the rationale for the penalties despite the NCAA’s own records, statements and findings to the contrary. Had that position been part of the Committee’s official report in July, it likely would have influenced our decision to appeal the postseason ban,” said Hutchinson.

“But we could only operate with the information contained in the Infractions Committee’s findings,” he added.

Walsh said he was glad it’s over and released a statement to the media. However, he declined to be interviewed.

“I appreciate the remarks issued by President Hutchinson. They speak for themselves,” said Walsh. “Of course, I am disappointed. But, at the same time, I am relieved that it’s over. Our players will enjoy spring vacation in a different way, as typical students, some in Florida and some at home.”

In the football situation, the Infractions Appeals Committee said that Maine has averaged 55.43 football scholarships per year so the Committee on Infractions’ reduction from 63 to 50 actually would result in a reduction of only 5.43 scholarships for 1997-98.

The ruling was that the scholarship reduction is the equivalent of the five ineligible student-athletes who competed for the football team in 1993-94 and that one-for-one reduction often is imposed by the Committee on Infractions in cases where ineligible student-athletes compete.

The Infractions Appeals Committee did not rule the penalty to be excessive.

Due to the lengthy process of the appeal, the letter-of-intent signing date for football has already passed, so the Infractions Appeals Committee’s decision became a moot point.

Maine was ruled to have been guilty of 36 numbered violations by the Committee on Infractions. Among the other sanctions imposed were: no television broadcasts of Maine hockey games for this season and the loss of six hockey scholarships over the next two seasons.

Maine also lost one scholarship in several other sports, among them men’s and women’s cross country and track, and men’s basketball. Cross country and track and field weren’t affected because they offer so few scholarship equivalencies.

“One of our reasons for appealing that particular penalty [scholarship reduction] in football was because of the degree of severity of that penalty compared to penalties imposed on our other sports teams for the indentical infraction,” said Hutchinson.

“The Infractions Committee explanation of its rationale issed last November and the Appeals Committee’s response today both have failed to address that concern,” he added.

The Infractions Appeals Committee’s ruling came as no surprise to university officials.

Outgoing compliance director Tammy Light, who will leave to become an associate director of athletics at Providence College, didn’t hide her disappointment as she sat quietly in her office late Thursday afternoon.

“I still had that glimmer of hope somebody would see our point,” said Light. “I thought the appeal was very well-written. Maybe I’m too deep into this to see the other point of view.

“But I really felt it was the right thing to do and that somebody along the line would finally see it our way,” added Light. “But I wasn’t surprised by the decision because we didn’t receive very good news all the way down the line.

“Once again, the student-athletes are caught in the middle of this,” said Light. “They’re the ones who have felt the impact of this from the beginning. We felt strongly about supporting the rights of the student-athletes.”

Light, Tyler and Hutchinson all expressed relief that the case was finally closed.

“It’s over, they have made their decision and there’s nowhere else to go but forward with all of our sports,” said Tyler.

“It’s time to move on. Our athletics department has made tremendous structural improvement in three years, improvements which the NCAA itself noted in July and which it praised extensively again today in its response,” said Hutchinson. “I have confidence in that department and its ability to perform admirably.”

“It is over and I’m glad of that,” Light said.