NCAA places ETSU on probation for men's tennis violations

Posted September 26, 2018 7:00 am

The Associated Press

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (AP) - East Tennessee State's athletics department has been placed on two years' probation and its former men's tennis coach has received a five-year show cause order from the NCAA.

The NCAA ruled former coach Yaser Zaatini and a booster provided about 14 men's tennis players with $9,937 in impermissible benefits over the course of five years. The report didn't mention Zaatini by name.

Zaatini resigned in March 2017 and was later indicted on charges of misappropriating over $45,000 from the university. The charges against him were dismissed after he paid back the money and filled other criteria as part of the pre-trial diversion program he had entered.

Penalties include scholarship reductions, a $5,000 fine and the vacating of men's tennis records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible

ETSU women's tennis coach Ricardo Rojas - a former ETSU men's tennis assistant coach - is suspended for two 2018-19 competition dates and is suspended from recruiting activity for a three-week period.

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