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BY: NICK GERHARDT

ANCHOR: MEGAN MURPHY

You're watching multisource sports video news analysis from Newsy. 

Cooperate -- or else.

Georgia Tech isn’t just in trouble for one of its former football players accepting $312 in improper benefits.

It’s in bigger trouble -- ESPN reports -- for trying to cover it up.

“The NCAA slams them, takes away their 2009 ACC Championship, puts Georgia Tech on four years probation, and fines them 100 thousand dollars. 

Now you say, $300, what’s the big deal? The big deal is the NCAA says DeMaryius Thomas was prepped for his interview by Georgia Tech officials. That is a no-no, you are not allowed to do that.”

Steep punishments for ticky-tack violations show how intent the NCAA is on sending a message, says a Georgia Bulldogs SB Nation blogger

“[The NCAA] did it by benching A.J. Green for a quarter of a season over a lone indiscretion about which he and everyone else in Athens were entirely forthcoming, and they did it by pointedly dinging [Georgia State] for failing to shoot straight”

Will Tech and the rest of college football nation heed this message? Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports sarcastically says... “yeah, right.”

“I'm sure once the ‘shame’ dies down at Tech over Thursday's NCAA football penalties a lot of folks at the school will ‘re-examine’ their ‘consciences.’ Then they'll laugh out loud. There was absolutely nothing in the NCAA's findings that will deter the next school from cheating.”

GaTech head football coach Paul Johnson tells USA Today just how much both players have already learned in the wake of the investigation.

“I know that they’re both very adamant that they didn’t do anything wrong still to this day. It’s a tough situation for them as well, because--I was thinking to myself--if you’re a guy and you know deep down that you didn’t do anything, you’ve got a lot of reputation to repair too, and it’s got to be frustrating for them.” (USA TODAY)

For the record, the NCAA says, it’s not about making an example of Georgia Tech.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions Chairman Dennis Thomas says -- this is just one ruling among many.

“The committee is not in the business of setting examples. The committee is in the business of reviewing the information that is presented at the hearings and rendering a decision based upon the information that is presented.”

But Thomas added -- had Georgia Tech cooperated, it’s possible the University would have only faced secondary violations -- instead of the major violations handed down this week.

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Transcript by Newsy.