24 Army Football Players Connected to Cheating Scandal
Two dozen football players at Army have been linked to an academic cheating scandal at the military academy, USA Today reported Wednesday.
Last week, USA Today said that 73 cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point had been accused of cheating on a calculus exam last May, with 58 of them admitting to having done so. Wednesday’s report said that in all, 55 of the cadets were athletes — including 24 football players.
Of those 24 players involved from last May, 17 remain on the football team and some are expected to play in the Liberty Bowl which kicks off in Memphis against West Virginia on Thursday.
The calculus test where the cheating took place was a remote exam from when almost all Universities in the country were doing remote learning. This would be a big deal anywhere, but at West Point, it’s a different level where there is a strict honor code that reads: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do.”
USA Today said that most of the students who admitted to cheating have been put in a rehabilitation program and will be on probation for the duration of their time at the academy. Others resigned, and some will go through hearings that could lead to them being expelled.
Remaining punishments are expected to be handed out in January and were not delayed because of the football season, an academy official told USA Today.
In a letter sent to the West Point community on Wednesday, superintendent Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams said in a statement, “These Cadets chose the easier wrong over the harder right. As the Superintendent, I own this cheating incident. Furthermore, I and every leader at West Point own their role in developing leaders of character. The standards established by the Cadet Honor Code have not changed and the Honor System receives my personal investment of time and attention. West Point takes every Honor Code violation seriously.”
West Point vs. West Virginia kicks off on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. CST.
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