The NCAA announced on Thursday that it had publicly reprimanded Matt Dernlan, the Binghamton wrestling head coach, for his misconduct at the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Dernlan also received a $500 fine.
Binghamton University Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott suspended Dernlan for two weeks without pay when the offenses initially occurred in March, and immediately supported the NCAA’s further sanctioning.
“We treat any misconduct—on or off the field of competition—very seriously,” Elliott said in a statement. “We will continue to uphold high expectations and standards for our coaches, student-athletes and staff as representatives of Binghamton University athletics.”
Dernlan’s offenses included failing to attend a mandatory administrative meeting prior to the championship, as well as being arrested and charged for public intoxication during the championships in Des Moines, Iowa, according to a press release from the NCAA.
The Division I Wrestling Committee felt the behavior met the NCAA’s definition of misconduct in an NCAA championship, defined in the press release as “any act of dishonesty, unsportsmanlike conduct, unprofessional behavior or breach of law, occurring from the time the championship field is announced through the end of the championship that discredits the event or intercollegiate athletics.”
David Martin, chair of the Committee and senior associate athletics director at Oklahoma State, said that the committee expects all coaches to meet certain standards of conduct befitting the championship inside and outside the venue. He also said that the committee appreciates Binghamton’s initial disciplinary actions, and that it believes Derlan’s mistake is not typical of his character.