Griffith also accused Iowa officials of illegal recruiting practices. The Big Ten Conference demanded that Iowa declare 14 athletes ineligible due to illegal recruiting. Iowa initially refused, claiming that the athletes accused had done nothing wrong, and stating that the blame for the situation lay with Belting and that the 14 athletes accused did not know their loans and scholarships were illegal. School officials eventually relented, suspended the players, and Iowa was reinstated. The scandal and suspension made Iowa the conference pariah for years. Iowa played just one Big Ten team, Purdue, in 1930 due to the suspension.