FBI vs. NCAA Coaches

[Jhawk 1075]

Who is bitching about the rules? It’s obvious that some here just want KU fans to be butthurt. You should head to the Ku message boards if you want to see that. It’s pretty obvious to me that the ones here see what is going on and are just presenting prospective defenses to the NOA. No one is saying “ but but but but...”.

[Beau Vine 54246]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A settlement agreement has been reached in the lawsuit filed against the NCAA by Luke Hancock and four players from the 2013 University of Louisville basketball team, but it will not result in the restoration of the school's vacated national championship, sources said Monday.

The title and banner were stripped from U of L as part of penalties from the NCAA over stripper parties, escorts and sex acts for players and recruits that occurred from 2010 to 2014. The lawsuit demanded the NCAA restore that title, and issue a declaration that the players, "did not engage in striptease dances, prostitution and tipping of strippers as implied."

The settlement restores Hancock's status as the Most Outstanding Player from that Final Four in Atlanta. Hancock scored 42 points in two games as the Cardinals defeated Wichita State and Michigan.

 

Besides Hancock, the other players involved in the lawsuit were Gorgui Dieng, Stephan Van Treese, Tim Henderson and Michael Marra. All of their playing records and statistics have also been reinstated.

The players said they filed the suit in an attempt to "clear names" and restore the team's national title, which was removed from program by the NCAA Committee on Infractions in July 2017. Louisville became the first Division I team in modern history to vacate a national title. The Cardinals were placed on four years of NCAA probation.

The Cardinals also vacated 123 victories, the result from one of several scandals that later led to the removal of U of L coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich.

Morgan & Morgan filed the lawsuit in Jefferson Circuit Court on behalf of the players in July 2018. The suit sought a specific declaration from the NCAA saying the players "did not engage in striptease dances, prostitution and tipping of strippers as implied."

Additionally, Hancock requested that an asterisk next to his name as "Most Outstanding Player" be removed. He made eight of 10 three-point shots against Wichita State and Michigan, leading the Cardinals in scoring in the 82-76 victory over the Wolverines.

[Iceman 2715]

That shit doesn't matter.  They know they won, and they know they cheated to do it.

 

Sanctions and penalties need to be fucking real.  Shut down coaches and shut down programs.

Clean it up, or keep fucking around...

[Jhawk 1075]

I think its pretty clear that the NCAA is going to keep fucking around.  Did you see the ESPN article on the CA legislation?  The guy from the NCAA said "we just wish the regulators would give us time to review and adapt our policies."  Bitch.. you just had a commission headed by Condi that literally put out a statement saying "everyone else is the problem, we're staying the same".  The NCAA has been actively fighting this problem for over 20 years and has NEVER acted to clean it up.  Now that there is regulatory pressure you wish people would give you time?  The NCAA is a dying entity and 2023 can't come soon enough.  If Florida and North Carolina come out and make changes, which apparently they are working on legislation, then the NCAA will be dead with those deals.  Can't wait.

[Jhawk 1075]

Dawkins gets 1 year in prison. So if you’re counting, coaches and players get their entire careers ruined. The longest sentence for the people at the heart of the actual criminal activity get a year or less in prison. Jarret jack gets 3 years for $300. 

[Blotto 23525]

I'm completely fine with Self's punishment being 1 year in prison.

[VolenteHawk 495]

On 9/26/2019 at 10:20 AM, El Diablo said:

The history of the NCAA and the crafting of the amateur/student-athlete legal position is an interesting one. The NCAA IS the member institutions after all. It's a tangled mess.

I was trying to think of a way to continue with your traffic analogy but couldn't. It's kind of like that but not really because who are the cops in that scenario and we all know that the cars that are speeding the most over the speed limit are the ones making the most profit as a result. Big mess.

The analogy isn't perfect, clearly.  On the morality front, I personally think the most immoral thing we do is force elite high school players to go to college by having rules against them turning pro in exactly two sports...coincidentally the two sports that make ass-piles of cash for the NCAA and ADs nationwide.  If you're a stud in hockey or baseball or downhill skiing, you can get paid right away.  And not only do we artificially limit their ability to make money, we systemically funnel them to a college campus for 7 months so Duke fans can buy #1 jerseys while #1 is "paid" (over the table) the exact same amount as a women's rower.

It's gawd-dammed unAmerican.

 

[El Diablo 4232]

2 minutes ago, VolenteHawk said:

The analogy isn't perfect, clearly.  On the morality front, I personally think the most immoral thing we do is force elite high school players to go to college by having rules against them turning pro in exactly two sports...coincidentally the two sports that make ass-piles of cash for the NCAA and ADs nationwide.  If you're a stud in hockey or baseball or downhill skiing, you can get paid right away.  And not only do we artificially limit their ability to make money, we systemically funnel them to a college campus for 7 months so Duke fans can buy #1 jerseys while #1 is "paid" (over the table) the exact same amount as a women's rower.

It's gawd-dammed unAmerican.

 

Yep. And it all goes back to what I said about the crafting of the term "student athlete". A whole lot of money and legal expertise was spent on that by the NCAA and by extension on behalf of the member institutions.

I like the IDEA of amateur sports, I just don't know if it's a viable concept that is based on reality.

[Jhawk 1075]

Amateur sports are very viable for amateurs with little to no aspiration to be professionals. The feeder process is the problem. Let everyone declare for the draft. Who cares. If you accept a scholarship then it should have some sort of time commitment longer than a year. The people who want to see top talent can watch the nba. People who want to cheer on their school can watch college ball. 

Letting athletes find their monetary value will allow the market to get to equilibrium very quickly. A blue blood basketball school isn’t going to pay a kid more than what the nba will. If they do then maybe the ncaa will steal talent from the nba making it an actual competitor of the league. If that were to happen then the tv dollars would follow and no one would be complaining. 

[Bevo 13577]

3 hours ago, Jhawk said:

Amateur sports are very viable for amateurs with little to no aspiration to be professionals. The feeder process is the problem. Let everyone declare for the draft. Who cares. If you accept a scholarship then it should have some sort of time commitment longer than a year. The people who want to see top talent can watch the nba. People who want to cheer on their school can watch college ball. 

Letting athletes find their monetary value will allow the market to get to equilibrium very quickly. A blue blood basketball school isn’t going to pay a kid more than what the nba will. If they do then maybe the ncaa will steal talent from the nba making it an actual competitor of the league. If that were to happen then the tv dollars would follow and no one would be complaining. 

That concept doesn't work in all sports. Basketball players are physically mature enough to go to the NBA out of high school. Let them get treated like commodities in the NBA. Some will become millionaires and some will be without education and without pro sports. But in football, kids aren't ready for the NFL. There needs to be a minor league system that will cost the NFL money.

In the end, I think the only viable system is a minor league route and a college route. The best athletes who don't care about college need to be in the minors and the other athletes who do care about college need to go the college route. It will kill college athletics as it will become more like intramural than what we see today. And I'll be sad because I love college sports and pay little attention to the pros. But, I guess I'll get over it and find new hobbies. And kids in general will stop playing school and do what they really want.

But stop blaming the system. Kansas and Alabama and UNLV and LSU and Kentucky have made major contributions towards the fall of the system. They could have kept recruiting clean and instead chose to hand out lots of money. You need to blame those schools that have blurred the lines of the student athlete rather than blaming it all on NCAA greed.

[Shaddie 1651]

29 minutes ago, Bevo said:

There needs to be a minor league system that will cost the NFL money.

That shoots your entire argument down. NFL is NEVER going to pay for something they get free. Damn they won’t even hire full time refs for their multi-billion $ enterprise. 

If college football dies tomorrow then you have a 10% chance of this working. 

[Bevo 13577]

2 minutes ago, Shaddie said:

That shoots your entire argument down. NFL is NEVER going to pay for something they get free. Damn they won’t even hire full time refs for their multi-billion $ enterprise. 

If college football dies tomorrow then you have a 10% chance of this working. 

No doubt, that is an impediment. But at some point, the NFL isn't going to have a choice. And if I can learn how to surf, maybe I won't care.

[Beau Vine 54246]

 

[Beau Vine 54246]

9 hours ago, Jhawk said:

Letting athletes find their monetary value will allow the market to get to equilibrium very quickly. A blue blood basketball school isn’t going to pay a kid more than what the nba will.

Why not?  They pay their coaches more than many NBA teams do.  

[Beau Vine 54246]

5 hours ago, Bevo said:

There needs to be a minor league system that will cost the NFL money.

Kate Beckinsale also needs to come over and give me a blow job.  

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

Kansas doesn't give a fuck. 

 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Lobwedgephil

[Beau Vine 54246]

This shithead's so good at shameless lying that he needs to work for the NCAA:

[Dewey 3286]

He really did say "acrobatic dancers", nice touch. 

[Blotto 23525]

huh. who coulda possibly have predicted this when they were writing up the contract for the mothafuckin' D O double G

[Machinator 32099]

 

[TreatyOak 16339]

On 9/24/2019 at 4:40 PM, Jhawk said:

KU is just a school that got popped for the same Snoop Dog concert that all the major schools have hosted. The shitty thing for the ncaa is very little of Snoop Dog's money gun "shot" any of the Board of Directors and directly implicated KU. It’s a courageous position to celebrate sluts and pole dancing, which is why the NCAA doesn’t get to be represented in an appeal scenario. That’s why KU is going to get a lot out of hiring Snoop Dog to associate us with payola, Adidas gangster bagmen and strippers. I fully expect another Crips tribute concert at every home game. It’ll be the appeal that having Bill Self wearing money symbols and Adidas logos that proves that we are culturally aware.

Which is basically what one of my earlier posts was about. The implications of some of the pole dancing ho's  is degrading to women made by the NCAA are far beyond what the ncaa is willing to defend long term. Couple that with KU staunchly defending Snoop Dog aiming a money gun at privileged white children to show how racially sorry we are and the lack of pole dancer's full frontal nudity is tough to defend. Especially if KU goes ahead with plans to turn every game into a South Central tribute concert featuring acrobatic dancers will save us from the ncaa the prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner. 

Man, @Jhawk's posts defending Kansas are getting stranger and stranger. 

[Felix 607]

@Jhawk is being a real bitch about this whole thing.  You got busted.  Face the music.

[Beau Vine 54246]

On 2/14/2019 at 11:44 AM, Beau Vine said:

Been wondering about this... If a fan of Kansas basketball gives a player money and gets busted, KU gets penalized and that booster gets disassociated.  Yet if Adidas is paying KU players, is the NCAA going to force KU to disassociate with Adidas?  Because how is that any different?

 

Bump.

Quote

The University of Kansas is disputing all allegations of wrongdoing by its men's basketball program that have been levied by the NCAA, the school said in its reply to the NCAA on Thursday.

The NCAA served Kansas with a notice of allegations in September stemming from the college basketball bribery scandal that led to the criminal prosecution of several former Adidas employees and consultants. The notice included five Level I violations, the most serious under NCAA rules.

Among the most serious charges were lack of institutional control by the school and head coach responsibility violations by Jayhawks coach Bill Self. The football program was cited for Level II violations.

In its response issued Thursday, Kansas stated: "In this case, stemming from federal criminal trials in 2018, there are several facts that are in dispute; there are assumptions made; and, perhaps most importantly, there are unprecedented and novel theories put forward that, if found to have merit by the Panel, would dramatically alter the collegiate sports landscape in ways not contemplated by the Membership.

The Jayhawks' statement goes on to say, "The University formally challenges each of the men's basketball related allegations in the Amended Notice of Allegations ("ANOA") as neither NCAA legislation nor the facts support the enforcement staff's allegations."

Specifically, the university and Self dispute that Adidas or its employees were acting as boosters for the program.

Adidas and its employees were at the center of a federal investigation into bribes and other corruption in college basketball over the past two years. The Jayhawks are the company's flagship program and signed a 14-year, $196 million apparel and sponsorship extension in April.

"Of particular concern to the institution, is the NCAA's assertion that Adidas, and Adidas employees and associates, were representatives of the University's athletics interests (as defined by NCAA legislation) during the period of the alleged violations and therefore acting on the University's behalf when they engaged in alleged violations of NCAA bylaws," the university statement said. "The evidence however, based mainly on trial testimony, fails utterly to support a conclusion that Adidas or any Adidas employees acted as representatives of the University during the period in question. Individuals formally associated with Adidas acted in their own interests when they gave money to the family and guardians of student-athletes.

"In fact, sworn testimony makes clear that these former Adidas associates went to great lengths to conceal their activities from Kansas and its basketball staff. The University did not know and, as the evidence reveals, could not have reasonably known, about the conduct of these persons formerly affiliated with Adidas."

The NCAA enforcement staff has 60 days to reply to Kansas' response, and then a hearing before the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions would potentially be scheduled as early as six to eight weeks later.

There's also a possibility the case will be resolved through NCAA's independent accountability resolution process, which the governing body created last year to handle high-profile cases involving potentially serious infractions. Independent investigators, advocates and decision-makers with no direct ties to NCAA member schools further investigate the case, if necessary, and then adjudicate a ruling. Under those procedures, there is no appeal to the independent resolution panel's ruling.

Memphis was informed Wednesday that it would be the first school to go through the independent accountability resolution process. The case is related to the Tigers' recruitment of former basketball star James Wiseman.

In its statement Thursday, Kansas called the NCAA enforcement staff's position "a never before alleged theory."

"Stated otherwise, according to the enforcement staff, every corporate sponsor and most, if not all, individuals associated with the sponsor are boosters of every institution with which the sponsor does business," the statement said. "This theory, if adopted by the Panel, would have far reaching ramifications throughout the Membership given the universal use of corporate sponsorships throughout Division I athletics. Moreover, as is explained in the Response, under the terms of NCAA legislation, innumerable current and former student-athletes would be ineligible due to their pre-enrollment participation in non-scholastic events and on non-scholastic teams that were provided financial support by Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, and others."

After the No. 1 Jayhawks' 75-66 victory over TCU on Wednesday night, Self told reporters the NCAA allegations haven't been a distraction.

"To be candid with you, I haven't had much to do with it,'' Self said after Kansas clinched a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with the win. "I haven't let that bog me down as a distraction. It certainly won't moving forward. That was something that had to happen from a mandatory standpoint, but it is no more than what it was three or four months ago. It's the next play.''

In September, former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola was sentenced to probation and fined for his role in pay-for-play schemes to steer recruits to Kansas and other Adidas-sponsored programs.

An attorney for former Adidas executive James Gatto told a jury during closing arguments at an October 2018 trial that his client approved a $20,000 payment to current Kansas player Silvio De Sousa's guardian only after Self and Jayhawks assistant Kurtis Townsend requested the payment through Gassnola.

Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and aspiring business manager Christian Dawkins were found guilty on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their roles in the pay-for-play schemes.

Gatto was accused of working with Gassnola to facilitate $90,000 from Adidas to former Jayhawks recruit Billy Preston's mother and agreeing to pay $20,000 to Fenny Falmagne, De Sousa's guardian, to help him "get out from under" a pay-for-play scheme to attend Maryland, which is sponsored by Under Armour.

The NCAA also included allegations that Gassnola provided $15,000 to an unidentified individual to give to the mother of recruit Deandre Ayton, who signed with Arizona, and that Gassnola "communicated in a text message to Self that he had let Self down" when Ayton signed with the Wildcats.

The NCAA alleges that Gassnola provided an impermissible benefit to another recruit, whose name was redacted in the notice of allegations, "in the form of an indeterminate amount of cash through a wire transfer." Former Adidas consultant Dan Cutler is accused of having impermissible contact with a recruit and promising that he and Adidas would ensure that the recruit's "parents could attend his games by providing financial assistance for their travel expenses."

The university contends that Self wasn't aware of the alleged violations and promoted an atmosphere of compliance and fully monitored his staff.

"As is laid out in great detail in the Response, there is no reasonable conclusion that members of the University, including the men's basketball staff, knew or should have known about any violations of NCAA rules," the statement said. "Head Coach Bill Self had no knowledge of any NCAA rules violations or illicit conduct exhibited by Adidas, its employees or its consultants. In addition, as the University noted in September 2019, voluminous evidence demonstrates uncontestably that Coach Self did, in fact, promote an atmosphere of compliance and fully monitor his staff. The charges leveled against Coach Self are not based on fact."

Quote

On Sept. 19, 2017 — three days before KU Athletics announced a 12-year contract extension with Adidas — Gassnola texted Self to tell him thank you for helping to get that extension done. Self replied via text that he was happy with Adidas and wrote “Just got to get a couple real guys.”

Gassnola responded with a text that said, “In my mind, it’s KU, Bill Self. Everyone else fall into line. Too (expletive) bad. That’s what’s right for Adidas basketball. And I know I’m right. The more you have lottery picks and you happy. That’s how it should work in my mind.” Self replied by text, “That’s how ur (sic) works. At UNC and Duke.” Gassnola answered by saying Kentucky as well. “I promise you I got this. I have never let you down. Except Deandre. Lol. We will get it right.”

In this case, Gassnola could be referring to center Deandre Ayton. Gassnola testified Thursday that he felt he let Self down when Ayton chose Arizona instead of KU.

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by Beau Vine

[El Diablo 4232]

In my business we bang a lot of broads. BUT! We have a gentlemen's agreement that we won't bang WHORES. Now, unbeknownst to me my business partner hired this whore to come bang me. Chick shows up, I lay the pipe. But you gotta realize I'm thinking she's banging me 'cause I've got this classic red and blue Corvette, right? So now I'm the bad guy for banging a whore! How was I supposed to know??

[Iceman 2715]

Because pussy just drops outta the sky, right?

 

No.  people know there are strings attached.

[Jhawk 1075]

Well it isn’t what you know it’s what you can prove. Unless it’s the ncaa. I haven’t read our response you but the angle that if a shoe company is a booster and the shoe company supplies shoes to AAU players then the players are taking benefits is actually reasonably logical. Especially because the players at the aau level ARE being recruited by schools that are sponsored by the shoe company. Very logical argument, but to see that and agree with that would take a policy change by the ncaa. I don’t see the ncaa changing policy over this in a way that would save our skin. 

[El Diablo 4232]

2 hours ago, Iceman said:

Because pussy just drops outta the sky, right?

 

No.  people know there are strings attached.

I'm not excusing anyone but the pussy analogy stand, imho. Chicks are attracted to prestige and will bone ugly ass dudes because that dude has something they want to be around. The blue bloods of college basketball attract top recruits on reputation alone in many cases. It doesn't have to be about money changing hands.

[Iceman 2715]

1 minute ago, El Diablo said:

I'm not excusing anyone but the pussy analogy stand, imho. Chicks are attracted to prestige and will bone ugly ass dudes because that dude has something they want to be around. The blue bloods of college basketball attract top recruits on reputation alone in many cases. It doesn't have to be about money changing hands.

awwww.  You love Auburn too, eh?

[El Diablo 4232]

Just now, Iceman said:

awwww.  You love Auburn too, eh?

If Beard has some long term success at TT are we going to then just assume that when he lands top recruits that it was because money changed hands?

[Iceman 2715]

1 minute ago, El Diablo said:

If Beard has some long term success at TT are we going to then just assume that when he lands top recruits that it was because money changed hands?

I already assume it.  maybe that makes ME the asshole.  Oh well.

College sports are dirty AF.  If you think "Oh everyone else is ridin dirty,  but my peeps are pristine..."  Yeah, that is just flat out delusion.

[El Diablo 4232]

2 minutes ago, Iceman said:

I already assume it.  maybe that makes ME the asshole.  Oh well.

College sports are dirty AF.  If you think "Oh everyone else is ridin dirty,  but my peeps are pristine..."  Yeah, that is just flat out delusion.

I think your cynicism does say something. Not sure what though, lol. To drape a blanket over anyone in the sport though is unfair. And you know this.

[Iceman 2715]

Just now, El Diablo said:

I think your cynicism does say something. Not sure what though, lol. To drape a blanket over anyone in the sport though is unfair. And you know this.

I'm not accusing Beard.  i'm just saying I assume it is going on, given the environment.

That being said, when there's smoke billowing out of a program like Kansas or UNC...  yeah,  I don't lean to the " It's probably just a big misunderstanding" camp.

[txhorns 2409]

Everyone who is competing in college basketball is doing something dirty.  There is a huge difference in giving a kid $200k in cash and in helping him find favorable off campus housing, however.

[Iceman 2715]

1 minute ago, txhorns said:

Everyone who is competing in college basketball is doing something dirty.  There is a huge difference in giving a kid $200k in cash and in helping him find favorable off campus housing, however.

Indeed, so when you add in all the shoe contracts and money in the industry, do you think a 5* or McD's AA player chooses between KU and say, Memphis because the rent's $100/ month cheaper in Lawrence?

[txhorns 2409]

2 minutes ago, Iceman said:

Indeed, so when you add in all the shoe contracts and money in the industry, do you think a 5* or McD's AA player chooses between KU and say, Memphis because the rent's $100/ month cheaper in Lawrence?

For most 5* players I would say no.  Not every kid is dirty.  For instance I could see a kid like Will Baker being clean.  Goes to Texas because he grew up in Austin and was always a fan of the school.  The kids swayed by the cheaper housing and shit like that are not 5* players.  They are the type of guys that Beard and Scott Drew are getting right now.

[Iceman 2715]

Beard's high school kids are elite now.

His grad transfers and how he gets them have piqued my interest.  They have been substantial contributors, to say the least, for the past 2 seasons.

[Jhawk 1075]

If Shaka was able to pay kids 10k a semester and Coach K wasn’t able to I guarantee Shaka isn’t going to get any more 5* kids than K. The quality of coach and stage matters a ton. 
 

elite prospects get paid because elite schools are competing for them. A kid that gets paid to go to South Carolina isn’t getting his market rate run up by duke or Ku. 
 

the shoe companies have done a number on the sport. The coaches and schools and the ncaa have allowed it to happen. 

[SwanderedTalent 5761]

i think the moral of the story is that Tech and Kansas should each get the death penalty

[Iceman 2715]

31 minutes ago, SwanderedTalent said:

i think the moral of the story is that Tech and Kansas should each get the death penalty

We already got one in football, albeit self imposed...

Cut us some slack, brah. 

[Jhawk 1075]

Same. 

[Dbeasy 15052]

The Scheme on HBO is an absolute must watch for any college basketball fan that’s confused by everything that’s happened. It helps address some of the most confusing aspects of the whole scandal. It also is infuriating in ten different ways.

[4th&Five 41558]

Seriously. What a waste of time and money. 
 

lulz

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by 4th&Five

[Catdaddyhorn 3446]

From the jump we all wondered what illegality took place. Turns out there wasn’t anything. Trumped up bullshit.

[Bartles 769]

The Scheme was interesting but it was obviously going to be a Christian Dawkins "I'm not a villain, I'm a hero" piece. The producers clearly spent a bunch of money dressing him up and having him do re-enactments around the country, with which he happily complied of course. Most of the documentary was focused on his story, which was certainly interesting and he is an engaging interview.

But the stuff CBB fans are looking for is mostly hurried out in the final 30 minutes. The Jay Bilas soundbite kind of summed up the whole thing - NCAA powerless, and the FBI/SDNY whiffed. Not sure why Kansas was only briefly mentioned, maybe they were more involved in the Merl Code proceedings as opposed to Dawkins.

[LTtxfan 49198]

Hope this is right thread for this...

 

[Deej 76800]

I'm pretty sure Kansas created COVID 19 to distract everyone from their transgressions. 

[Iceman 2715]

9 hours ago, Deej said:

I'm pretty sure Kansas created COVID 19 to distract everyone from their transgressions. 

17k fans pile into Phog Allen Fieldhouse and turn up positive for CV-19.

The 12 players and 5 coaches  on the opposing team are to blame. 

[Js1 85353]

 

[LTtxfan 49198]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/29147741/ncaa-enforcement-office-calls-kansas-violations-egregious-severe

 

NCAA enforcement office calls Kansas' violations 'egregious, severe' 

Mark Schlabach    ESPN Senior Writer  4:38 PM CT 

Quote

The NCAA enforcement staff said Kansas' basketball program committed "egregious" and "severe" rules violations that "significantly undermine and threaten the NCAA Collegiate Model," and alleged that Jayhawks coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend "embraced, welcomed and encouraged" Adidas employees and consultants to influence high-profile recruits to sign with Kansas.

That was the NCAA enforcement staff's position in its 92-page reply to Kansas, which the university released on Thursday. The Jayhawks are charged with five Level I rules violations, the most serious, including lack of institutional control. Self is charged with head-coach responsibility violations.

Under NCAA rules, a head coach could be hit with a show-cause order and be suspended up to an entire season for Level I violations.

Kansas is also charged with two Level II violations and one Level III violation related to the football program under coach David Beaty.

Because of the complexity and severity of the allegations, and Kansas' position regarding Adidas' role, the case might be processed through the independent accountability resolutions process (IARP). An independent resolution panel (IRP), consisting of five independent members with legal, higher education and/or sports backgrounds, would hear the case and decide what penalties the Jayhawks would face. The IRP's decision is final and there are no appeals.

"While the football allegations involve alleged Level II and III violations, which are serious alleged violations, there can be no doubt the men's basketball allegations are egregious, severe and are the kind that significantly undermine and threaten the NCAA Collegiate Model," the NCAA enforcement staff wrote in its reply. "The institution secured significant recruiting and competitive advantages by committing alleged Level I men's basketball violations. The institution, in taking its defiant posture in the case, is indifferent to how its alleged violations may have adversely impacted other NCAA institutions who acted in compliance with NCAA legislation."

Kansas officials, along with Self and Townsend, are disputing each of the five Level I violations regarding the men's basketball program, as well as each of the nine aggravating factors cited by the NCAA.

"The NCAA enforcement staff's reply does not in any way change the University of Kansas' position that the allegations brought against our men's basketball program are simply baseless and littered with false representations," Kansas officials wrote in a statement on Thursday. "As the federal trial proved, Adidas employees intentionally concealed impermissible payments from the University and its coaching staff. The University has never denied these impermissible payments were made. For the NCAA enforcement staff to allege that the University should be held responsible for these payments is a distortion of the facts and a gross misapplication of NCAA Bylaws and case precedent.

"In addition, the enforcement staff's assertion that KU refuses to accept responsibility is wrong. The University absolutely would accept responsibility if it believed that violations had occurred, as we have demonstrated with other self-reported infractions. Chancellor [Doug] Girod, [athletic director] Jeff Long and KU stand firmly behind Coach Self, his staff and our men's basketball program, as well as our robust compliance program."

Adidas and its employees and consultants were at the center of a federal investigation into bribes and other corruption in college basketball. The Jayhawks are the company's flagship program and signed a 14-year, $196 million apparel and sponsorship extension in April 2019.

During a federal trial in October 2018, Adidas executive James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and aspiring business manager Christian Dawkins were found guilty on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. They are appealing their convictions.

In September 2019, former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola was sentenced to probation and fined for his role in pay-for-play schemes to steer recruits to Kansas and other Adidas-sponsored programs.

Gatto was accused of working with Gassnola to facilitate $90,000 from Adidas to former Jayhawks recruit Billy Preston's mother and agreeing to pay $20,000 to Fenny Falmagne, current Kansas player Silvio De Sousa's guardian, to help him "get out from under" a pay-for-play scheme to attend Maryland, which is sponsored by Under Armour.

The NCAA also included allegations that Gassnola provided $15,000 to an unidentified individual to give to the mother of recruit Deandre Ayton, who signed with Arizona, and that Gassnola "communicated in a text message to Self that he had let Self down" when Ayton signed with the Wildcats.

"Regarding the men's basketball allegations, very few facts are in dispute," the NCAA reply said. "The institution does not dispute that Adidas and its employee and consultant provided at least $100,000 to families of three men's basketball student-athletes the institution was recruiting. Bill Self (Self), head men's basketball coach, and Kurtis Townsend (Townsend), assistant men's basketball coach, also do not dispute many of the facts related to Adidas and its representatives having contact with prospects, and that they regularly communicated with Adidas representatives about their recruitment of prospects.

"However, where the parties diverge from the NCAA enforcement staff is on the key issue of responsibility for this conduct. They assert that Adidas and four of its employees or consultants are not representatives of the institution's athletics interests, arguing the enforcement staff's analysis is novel, unprecedented and never previously contemplated by the NCAA membership."

The NCAA enforcement staff contends NCAA membership "feared shoe apparel company involvement and influence in the recruitment of elite student-athletes and then put safeguards into place in an attempt to prevent what occurred in this case."

"The institution failed to control and monitor the relationship between Adidas' representatives with its storied men's basketball program," the NCAA reply said. "This failure led to TJ Gassnola (Gassnola), a convicted criminal and then Adidas outside counsel, having unfiltered access to the men's basketball program and allowed for Gassnola and Adidas to profoundly influence the institution's recruitment of elite men's basketball student-athletes.

"In fact, Self and Townsend embraced, welcomed and encouraged Gassnola and Adidas' other representatives' impermissible involvement. When boosters commit violations, the membership has clearly spoken through its legislative authority and infractions case precedent that the institutions should be held responsible."

 

Edited May 8, 2020 by LTtxfan

[Bartles 769]

Good for the NCAA for standing up for itself for a change. Of course, if their case hinges on adidas being a booster, that's gonna be a tough sell to the infractions committee because I don't think such a thing has ever been ruled on before.

This was a good column in the Indianapolis Star about the new penalty procedure. It's pretty much an unknown right now, but one thing that's clear is that once penalties are announced, that's the end of it. No more gutting the rulings in appeals. And that scares the fuck out of the schools.