Jim Lindenmayer thought he was doing the right thing when he bailed Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) sophomore Ronald Ross out of jail after a post-game brawl several weeks ago. After all, Lindenmayer (right) is the president of IHCC, and he didn't want to simply leave Ross at a faraway jail.

But as it turns out, Lindenmayer's seemingly harmless act has had dire consequences for the IHCC basketball team.

The club, which finished the season 26-4 and ranked third in the country among NJCAA Division I teams, has been banned from the postseason. Lindenmayer violated an NJCAA rule that prohibits a school official from posting bond for a player.

After IHCC's double-overtime victory over rival Southeastern Community College on Feb. 16, a scuffle broke out between the two teams. Ross, IHCC's second-leading scorer, was arrested and charged with assaulting the son of Southeastern head coach Terry Carroll. Lindenmayer bailed Ross out of jail later that night, and he explained his reasoning in a statement released by the school.

"Late Saturday after everyone was on their way home, I bailed a student-athlete out of jail. I was unaware of the rule, but I knew that I did not want to leave a player behind at an out of town facility under those circumstances,” Lindenmeyer said. "I feel strongly that when we leave our campus with students in our care it is our duty to return them safely to campus. This is what I would expect of any staff member and what I would expect as a parent of a child under college supervision."

After discovering that he violated a rule, Lindenmeyer self-reported the incident. That wasn't enough for the NJCAA, which placed IHCC on probation and effectively ended its promising season. The school's appeal of the ban was rejected.

This seems like another silly instance of a collegiate governing body unwilling to bend rules depending on the circumstance. Lindenmeyer was acting in the best interest of a student and his actions did not harm anyone, but none of that mattered to the NJCAA.

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(H/T to Deadspin)