   
Hogs to appeal stripped track championships
By ALEX ABRAMS
STEPHENS MEDIA GROUP
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 FAYETTEVILLE Arkansas officials will meet with the NCAA on Friday in Chicago as part of their last-ditch attempt to reclaim the two men's track and field national championships that were stripped because of rules violations.
Arkansas associate general counsel Scott Varady said Tuesday that school officials will have 45 minutes on Friday morning to present their case to the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee. Arkansas will then have a 15-minute rebuttal period.
Varady said he couldn't disclose which Arkansas officials will travel to Chicago to represent the university at the appeals hearing. He added that it could take some time for the NCAA to come back with a ruling.
"We'll present our case," Varady said.
Last October, the NCAA stripped the Razorbacks of their 2004 and 2005 outdoor national championships as punishment for violations committed by former Arkansas assistant coach Lance Brauman.
The violations stem from Brauman's dealings with star sprinter Tyson Gay in 2003 before Gay was enrolled at Arkansas as a student-athlete. Gay, who won two individual national championships with the Razorbacks, is considered among the favorites to capture the gold medal in the 100-meter dash at the Beijing Olympics.
Arkansas officials are also appealing when the NCAA's three-year probationary period for the Razorbacks should have gone into effect.
Arkansas submitted a self-report to the NCAA on Dec. 5, 2006, outlining the violations committed by Brauman three years earlier while trying to get Gay eligible to run for the Razorbacks.
The school self-imposed several penalties, including scholarship reductions and probation. But the NCAA didn't give Arkansas credit for the time the school was already on probation before the NCAA imposed its punishment.
In essence, the Razorbacks will be on probation for three years, 10 months for the violations committed by Brauman.
Varady said Friday's appeal is final, adding that the school won't be able to take any more steps to reclaim the two national championships if the NCAA rules against the university.
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