The University of Michigan will conduct a "full investigation" into allegations the football program has routinely violated NCAA rules over the last two seasons by performing mandatory activities beyond the allotted time, athletic director Bill Martin said Sunday in a statement.

Martin, coach Rich Rodriguez, and associate athletic director Judy Van Horn all released statements via e-mail, and although Martin and Van Horn said they believe the allegations are false, Rodriguez was the only one of the three to flatly deny them.

Late Saturday, the Detroit Free Press released a story in which six unnamed players from the 2008 and 2009 teams gave detailed accounts of Rodriguez not adhering to NCAA rules by working his players past the daily (four hours) and weekly (20 hours) limits.

"We know the practice and offseason rules, and we stay within the guidelines," said Rodriguez. "We follow the rules and have always been completely committed to being compliant with all NCAA rules."

An NCAA spokesman reached yesterday by The Blade declined to comment about any possible NCAA investigation. If such violations are true, UM could face the prospect of being placed on probation and losing scholarships and practice time.

Rodriguez, 46, is also accused of instructing players to be at Schembechler Hall often for nine hours on Sundays during the season, which breaks the NCAA rule by five hours. Other allegations include members of Rodriguez's staff being present during offseason 7-on-7 drills. Per NCAA rules, only a medical trainer can be there.

"We are committed to following both the letter and the intent of the NCAA rules, and we take any allegations of violations seriously," Martin said. "We believe we have been compliant with NCAA rules, but nonetheless we have launched a full investigation of the allegations in [yesterday's] newspaper. We have already reached out to both the Big Ten and the NCAA, and we will have more to say on this as soon as we have completed our assessment."

The media are scheduled to meet with Rodriguez today for the coach's weekly press conference.

The Wolverines, 3-9 a year ago, open with Western Michigan at home Saturday.

Contact Ryan Autullo at:

rautullo@theblade.com

or 419-724-6160.