TSU athletics department center of NCAA probe

HOUSTON

It's not clear what it could mean for the university's athletics department but the school says it all began when it was randomly selected by the NCAA for a review of its academic performance program data. The NCAA reviewed data from the years 2004-2007 and at that time, the NCAA discovered inconsistencies.

TSU says it reported the information to the NCAA and then an investigation was opened.

KCOH radio host Ralph Cooper, who's been following TSU's athletics for more than 40 years, tells Eyewitness News this is certainly not good for the program, especially at a time when it's rebounding.

"When you go from losing to winning, there's going to be an investigation, in my opinion," Cooper said. "When you turn a program around, many people are going to wonder, why can you turn a program around in a matter of a short period of time -- whatever two or three years -- and you're going to investigate it.

"It appears to be very serious, but I'm going to say don't rush to judge what has happened," Cooper added. "Try to give the Texas Southern University athletics department a chance to deal with this particular situation."

TSU says it's waiting for the NCAA to complete its investigation. It says it hasn't been notified of any additional findings.