The NCAA sanctions imposed on Syracuse University on Friday have been criticized as too harsh for the violations committed. But critics of the punishments SU received should realize that they are only the result of SU’s years of breaking the rules, repeatedly and willingly. Moving forward, the NCAA should continue to dole out sanctions that are proportional to the violations committed.

The investigation into SU Athletics began in 2007 when SU self-reported possible violations to the NCAA. The duration of the investigation is unprecedented, having stretched over seven years. And at the end of this investigation, SU now faces five years of probation, the loss of 12 basketball scholarships, hefty fines, and the vacation of all the wins in which ineligible students played.

Many took to voicing their opposition to these sanctions, saying the infractions committed by the SU athletics department don’t warrant such harsh penalties and suggesting that the NCAA is making an example of SU. While there is not one violation that can be singled out as extreme, the problem is that so many infractions were carried out for so long.

If SU wasn’t sentenced for committing these violations, this pattern may have continued. Even after the university self-reported violations in 2007, the men’s basketball program committed more infractions in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Academic integrity violations were endemic within the athletics department.

And academic integrity violations are not just happening at SU, to think this is an isolated incident is naive. Moving forward the NCAA must keep up this intense level of punishment for all schools that violate academic integrity standards. This is the only way that the culture of rule breaking will begin to fade from intercollegiate athletics.

Academic integrity standards are in place because these student-athletes are students first. The NCAA is right to impose such drastic penalties on SU for the infractions that were systemically committed by the athletics department. The NCAA should take care to hold other violators responsible to the same degree.