The U.S. Military Academy admitted to a recruiting violation to the NCAA after a news report claimed the Army football team used cash, alcohol and dates with cheerleaders and female athletes as incentives for high school football recruits to join the team.

The Colorado Springs Gazette first broke the story Saturday, and the Academy in West Point, New York, soon after self-reported their actions.

According to the Gazette's report, the Academy disciplined 20 cadets and coaches for promoting underage drinking and other improper behaviors. Two police officers who provided an escort for a party bus full of cheerleaders were also reprimanded.

The actions were discovered after an internal investigation led by Lt. Col. Shannon Miller nearly one month following the incident.

While the details of the punishments were confidential, no players or coaches were dismissed or suspended from the team. The Gazette was told by a West Point spokesperson that the misconduct was not announced publicly because it had been dealt with "administratively."

"Although seen as a minor infraction by the NCAA, the U.S. Military Academy takes this very seriously and adjudicated this at the highest level of the disciplinary code," West Point said in a statement. "We adjudicated this under Article 10 of the Cadet Disciplinary Code and all cadets appeared before the Commandant's Disciplinary Board."

In Miller's account of the investigation, he said Army director of football operations Lt. Col. Chad Davis requested the players to recruit women's basketball and volleyball team members and cheerleaders to be dinner dates at events where potential recruits would be present.

"We want recruits to see that there are pretty girls that go here," he allegedly said. "There are not just masculine women that attend West Point."

The Army football team next faces Air Force on Nov. 1. Air Force football players were recently accused of engaging in academic cheating, drug use and sexual assault.

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