KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Missouri has some new help in it's effort to reverse NCAA penalties issued to the school's athletic department.
On Wednesday, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt released a letter he sent to NCAA President Mark Emmert.
In the letter, Sen. Blunt called the NCAA penalties for academic fraud "overreaching."
The NCAA issued the punishment last month after it and MU investigated allegations of academic misconduct in which a tutor completed coursework for students.
The punishment includes recruiting sanctions and postseason bans for the football, softball and baseball teams.
Also in the letter, Sen. Blunt wrote, "Rather than punishing innocent student-athletes, the COI [Committee on Infractions] should continue to encourage schools to report violations and look for solutions. It is my hope that the NCAA will revisit this case and not punish today's upstanding MU athletes because of isolated violations that occurred years ago. The University of Missouri and the state of Missouri deserve a second look at this situation."
MU filed it's notice of appeal last week. The appeals process will likely take several months.
