Michigan's football team -- and its win against Penn State -- is under review by the Big Ten after a freshman safety on the team violated eligibility rules, the university's athletic director told reporters on Saturday.
Team officials discovered on Thursday that Artis Chambers, who played against Penn State on Sept. 22, was eligible to play under NCAA guidelines, but ineligible under Big Ten guidelines.
Bill Martin, the university's athletic director, said Chambers would not play for the rest of the 2007 season.
The severity of possible punishments is not yet known. Martin said the outcome of Michigan's two non-conference games in which Chambers played would remain intact. However, Martin said he "can't rule anything out at this point" with regard to Michigan's win against Penn State on Sept. 22.
Big Ten Spokesman Scott Chipman told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that forfeiture is an option.
Penn State athletic director Tim Curley said yesterday he was not aware of Michigan's possible rules violation.
However, Jeff Nelson, Penn State's sports information director, said yesterday he was aware of the possible violation, but deferred all questions about it to Chipman.
It's unclear how Chambers violated Big Ten rules. Martin said Chambers, who enrolled at Michigan in January, violated "mid-semester freshman eligibility rules," but didn't elaborate, citing federal regulations that govern students' privacy.
The university reported the situation to the Big Ten, Chipman said yesterday.
"As soon as we found out, we went to the Big Ten office on Thursday afternoon and had further discussions with them on Friday," Martin said.
The Big Ten's compliance and reinstatement subcommittee is reviewing the case, Chipman said, and its review could take a few weeks. Chipman would not answer further questions.
"The Big Ten does not comment on specific cases," Chipman said, adding that he would not comment until the review is complete.
Chambers played in three of the Wolverines' first four games this season: their opener against Appalachian State and their Sept. 15 game against Notre Dame. His third and final game was against Penn State. Chambers had one assisted tackle in that contest.
