NCAA Fires VP Julie Roe Lach Amid Release Of External Report

The NCAA reportedly has fired VP/Enforcement Julie Roe Lach ahead of today's release of an "external report detailing an abuse of power in its investigation" of the Univ. of Miami. Sources said that the dismissal "stems from her approving an improper financial relationship between an NCAA investigator and an attorney of former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro." Lach joined the NCAA in '98 and in '10 was President Mark Emmert's "hand-picked choice" to head up enforcement (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/18). Attorney Jonathan Duncan has been named to replace Lach on an interim basis (SBNATION.com, 2/18).

The NCAA announced its enforcement staff "acted contrary to internal protocols, legal counsel and the membership's understanding about the limits of its investigative powers." Though "no bylaw or law was broken, members of its enforcement staff circumvented the advice of the NCAA's legal staff," according to today's report from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The NCAA said that its "case against Miami will proceed, though information obtained improperly will not be used" (USATODAY.com, 2/18).