Alabama: NCAA wrongly vacated 21 wins

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama contends the NCAA wrongly forced the football program to vacate 21 victories.

The university, in a rebuttal released Tuesday, says the wins should be restored. It says the NCAA infractions committee, among other things, improperly cited the school's repeat violator status as a factor in imposing the penalty.

Alabama's rebuttal said the committee cited the school's "abysmal infractions track record" and described that record as "the driving force behind" the penalty.

The university said the committee ignored bylaws and precedents in addressing repeat violator penalties.

The case that led to the penalty involved 201 athletes in 16 sports obtaining textbooks they weren't entitled to under their scholarships.