 The article resulted in an immediate furor over possible violations of NCAA rules, although Hayes insisted that the loans were made with his own personal funds and were to be repaid, and in effect plead ignorance of the rules.The faculty council, followed by the Big Ten and the NCAA, conducted lengthy investigations which went beyond the scope of the original allegations, and on April 26, 1956, Big Ten Commissioner Kenneth "Tug" Wilson found Hayes and the program guilty of violations and placed it on a year's probation, making all Buckeye sports teams ineligible for play in NCAA tournaments.The 1956 season became one of mixed results.