Scott Edgar formally appeals his NCAA penalty

Former Southeast men's basketball coach Scott Edgar has appealed a penalty by the NCAA that would all but keep him out of coaching for three years.

Here's the full press release from The Sports Group, a sports law firm in Birmingham, Ala.:

Scott Edgar, former Head Basketball Coach at Southeast Missouri State University, recently filed an appeal with the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee.

Montgomery, Alabama. Scott Edgar, former Head Basketball Coach at Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, recently filed an appeal to the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee. Edgar, a thirty year coaching veteran whose career has included stops at the University of Tennessee, University of Alabama-Birmingham, Murray State University and the University of Arkansas filed the appeal through his counsel, Donald Maurice Jackson of The Sports Group, Montgomery, Alabama. He filed the appeal on Friday October 23, 2009, requesting that the Infractions Appeals Committee, review the findings of the NCAA Division One Committee on Infractions' August 13, 2009 decision. The Committee on Infractions imposed a three year show cause sanction against Edgar, among the most serious sanctions that can be imposed against a coach at an NCAA member institution. In Edgar's thirty year career which has included several head coaching positions, he has never been charged with previous NCAA violations.

Edgar: "I look forward to continued cooperation with all parties involved in this process as it is my ultimate goal to clear my name and continue to do what I believe I am called by My Lord and Savior to do. My calling is to coach and teach student-athletes at the highest level."

Donald Maurice Jackson, a licensed attorney and the Principal of The Sports Group, advises organizations, student-athletes, member-institutions and coaches in NCAA enforcement actions, committee matters and appeals. He has appeared before the NCAA Infractions Committee and various other NCAA committees on behalf of member institutions, student-athletes and coaches. In recent years, he has represented numerous high profile student-athletes in NCAA investigative actions, including several McDonald's and Parade All Americans. Jackson is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and a former collegiate pitcher. Jackson is the author of Fourth Down and Twenty-Five Years to Go: The African American Athlete and the Justice System.

Said Jackson: "We are optimistic that Coach Edgar will receive a fair and reasonable evaluation of the Committee on Infractions' findings. In Coach Edgar's thirty year, spotless, infractions-free career, he has demonstrated himself to be a man of considerable character and has an outstanding reputation in collegiate sports. We are hopeful that he will be able to clear his name, restore his reputation and resume his career after this process is completed".

For more information, please contact Donald Maurice Jackson at 334.467.0545 or at thesportsgroup@yahoo.com via e-mail.

The Sports Group is a boutique sports law firm that, among things assists universities, coaches and student athletes with addressing issues in complex NCAA enforcement actions and appeals concerning academic fraud, amateurism, eligibility, unethical conduct and institutional control issues. The Sports Group website can be located at http://www.thesportsgroup.org.