Social sensations deliver fiery message to college governing body

Two college athletes have taken to social media to deliver a blistering response to the governing body over sanctions.

Things appear to be getting chippy between the Cavinder twins and the NCAA.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who are college basketball players and TikTok superstars, posted a fiery response to the NCAA on social media following the organisation’s first NIL infractions ruling that handed down sanctions to the University of Miami’s women’s basketball program for recruiting violations involving the pair of star guards and team booster John Ruiz.

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On Saturday — one day after sanctions were made public — Haley posted a video on Twitter that featured the twins reacting to a headline about the investigation results.

“Dear ncaa, scared that female athletes have value? let’s hoop tho.. #GoCanes @CavinderHanna,” Haley wrote.

In the clip, which has been viewed more than 423,000 times as of Tuesday, Haley and Hanna are seen lip-syncing to Chris Brown’s 2011 song, “Look at Me Now,” and dancing in what appears to be a University of Miami bathroom.

“BFFR NCAA..,” was written over the video, which is a popular slang term for “be f**king for real.”

Hanna not only reposted her sister’s tweet, but the twins shared the clip on their joint TikTok account, which boasts over four million followers. The comments on the TikTok post are turned off.

The Cavinder twins found themselves at the center of the NCAA’s first NIL infractions ruling on Friday following a nearly year-long investigation into the University of Miami’s women’s basketball program and its recruiting. Sports Illustrated was first to report the investigation findings.

The Cavinder twins transferred from Fresno State to Miami on April 21, 2022. While in the transfer portal, Haley and Hanna, along with their parents, had dinner with Ruiz, a prominent Hurricanes booster, at his Miami home on April 13, 2022.

Later that night, Ruiz posted a photo on Twitter that showed the group standing in front of his home — which the NCAA said in its report led to the investigation that began in May. The NCAA’s report also stated that the meeting was arranged by Hurricanes head coach Katie Meier.

In the report, the meeting was described as “impermissible contact,” and the chef-prepared dinner provided by Ruiz is classified as a recruiting “inducement.”

The NCAA reached a negotiated resolution with the Hurricanes’ women’s basketball program for multiple violations, which included Meier serving a three-game suspension at the start of the season. The coach was cited for violating “head-coach responsibility,” while the student-athletes and Ruiz were not sanctioned.

Miami’s women’s basketball team must pay a $5,000 fine and a separate fine worth one per cent of the program’s budget. The Hurricanes’ program will also serve a year of probation, which includes reductions in recruiting and official visits.

Haley and Hanna were honoured Sunday on senior night when Miami defeated Virginia, 85-74, in their last game of the regular season.

The sisters have the option to return to Miami to play next year. In a YouTube video from their senior night, Haley said she committed to play for Miami next season, while Hanna has yet to make her decision, stating, “No comment.”

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.