LAWRENCE (KSNT) – An investigation dating back to 2017 is finally coming to a conclusion.
KU men’s basketball was originally facing charges of five level one violations, including a lack of institutional control accusation.
On Tuesday, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process announced the infractions report with a ruling for KU’s case.
The findings included a downgrade in the severity of the five level one violations, instead judging this as a level two case. The IARP is giving Kansas a three-year probation, with no effect on KU’s postseason eligibility.
“The University of Kansas was held responsible for the inducements and extra benefit provided by two representatives of athletics interests in its men’s basketball program,” an official release from the IARP said. “Additionally, the head men’s basketball coach and assistant men’s basketball coach failed to report impermissible recruiting inducements and contacts. The hearing panel also found that the Kansas football program violated the NCAA legislated limit on the number of coaches and the duties of noncoaching staff members. Of the allegations asserted, review Appendices Three and Four in the case decision for additional detail, the hearing panel did not find violations for every allegation presented.”
Included in the penalties, with more details below, include the requirement to vacate wins when an ineligible student-athlete was playing. With that, KU is no longer the winningest program in college basketball. Click here for more details.
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“It took this long to render a decision only because this was an incredibly thorough record,” IARP panel chief Christina Guerola Sarchio said.
Officially, from the IARP, two Level II violations and two Level III violations were found for the insitution:
- The institution was responsible for actions of apparel company outside consultant, a representative of athletics interests, when he arranged to provide $4,000 in extra benefits to the mother of men’s basketball prospective student-athlete No. 2 on or about September 23, The hearing panel found this to be a Level II violation.
- The institution was responsible for actions of apparel company outside consultant, a representative of athletics interests, when he provided a $2,500 cash recruiting inducement during the first half of September 2017 to the guardian for men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1 in an effort to secure the student-athlete’s enrollment at Kansas. The hearing panel found this to be a Level II violation
- The institution was responsible for the actions of representative of athletics interests No. 1 when in 2016, representative of athletics interests No. 1 provided approximately $200 in cash to men’s basketball student-athlete No. 4 during a barbeque at the head men’s basketball coach’s house. The hearing panel found this to be a Level III violation.
- Apparel company outside consultant had impermissible recruiting contact with the guardian for men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1 when he discussed with the guardian for men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1 the provision of used athletics gear for a nonscholastic basketball team. The hearing panel found this to be a Level III violation.
The above points all came directly from an official press release from the IARP.
Head coach Bill Self is being charged with a Level III violation. Assistant coach Kurtis Townsend had his charges reduced from Level I to a Level II and a Level III charge. The IARP, in summary says:
- A KU assistant coach shared contact information between apparel company outside consultant and guardian for men’s basketball studentathlete No. 1 for the purpose of connecting the two parties to discuss the provision of used athletics gear for a nonscholastic basketball team
“Based on these and other facts in the case record, the hearing panel concluded that the head men’s basketball coach and assistant men’s basketball coach encouraged, approved and had knowledge of impermissible recruiting telephone calls apparel company outside consultant had with guardian for men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1. The head men’s basketball coach and assistant men’s basketball coach failed to report the sharing of apparel company outside consultant’s contact information, and the calls between apparel company outside consultant and guardian for men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1 to the institution’s compliance staff,” the IARP release said. “Therefore, the hearing panel found a Level III violation for the head men’s basketball coach and assistant men’s basketball coach for provision of a recruiting inducement of apparel company outside consultant’s contact information and the failure to report an impermissible recruiting contact.”
Additionally, a phone call between a KU men’s basketball assistant coach and an apparel representative suggested that a prospective student-athlete request ‘impermissible recruiting inducements.’ The KU assistant failed to report this to the institution’s compliance staff. This was found to be a Level II violation.
When it comes to penatlites, the IARP says the panel was intentional about not prescribing penalties that would have a negative impact on current student-athletes.
The hearing panel accepted the institution’s self-imposed penalties and used the Division I membership-approved penalty guidelines to prescribe additional penalties,” a release said.
According to the IARP, penalties to the men’s basketball program include:
Self-imposed penalties by KU:
- A financial penalty fine in the amount of $5,000, plus 1% of its average men’s
basketball budget based on the average of the men’s basketball programs’
previous three total budgets. - Reduction in men’s basketball scholarships by a total of three over the course
of the 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years. - Reduction in the total official visits permitted in men’s basketball by a total of
four over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 academic years, with the option of reducing
visits by any combination (e.g., four in one year, or three in one year and one
in one year). - A six-week ban on recruiting communications with all men’s basketball
prospective student-athletes during the 2022-23 academic year. - A six-week ban on unofficial visits by men’s basketball prospective studentathletes during the 2022-23 academic year.
- A 14-day reduction in the number of recruiting person days during the 2022-
23 academic year. - The men’s basketball staff was prohibited from hosting any official visits by
men’s basketball prospective student-athletes (including families, guardians
and/or representatives) during the 2022 Late Night event.
Additional penalties for the institution:
a. Public reprimand and censure.
b. Vacation of team and individual records.
- Kansas shall vacate all regular season and conference tournament wins,
records and participation in which men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1
competed while ineligible in the 2017-18 academic year. - If men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1 participated in any NCAA postseason
competition at any time while the student-athlete was ineligible, Kansas’
participation in the postseason contests in which the ineligible competition
occurred shall be vacated. - The individual records related to men’s basketball student-athlete No. 1’s
participation while ineligible shall be vacated. However, the individual
finishes and any awards for all eligible student-athletes shall be retained. - Kansas’ records regarding its men’s basketball program, as well as the records
of its head men’s basketball coach, shall reflect the vacated records and be
recorded in all publications in which such records are reported. - Any institution that may subsequently hire the affected head men’s basketball
coach shall similarly reflect the vacated wins in his career records. - Head coaches with vacated wins on their records may not count the vacated
wins toward specific honors or career victory “milestones.” - Any public references to the vacated records shall be removed from the
athletics department stationery and banners displayed in public areas. - Any trophies awarded by the NCAA in the affected sport program shall be
returned to the Association. - The institution’s media relations director must contact the NCAA and
appropriate conference officials to identify student-athletes and contests
impacted by the penalties and then provide the NCAA with a written report
detailing those discussions no later than 14 days following the infractions
decision release. A copy of the report shall also be delivered to the NCAA
hearing operations staff at the same time.
When it relates to the KU men’s basketball player being active on the team, despite being ineligible, Bill Self was not held at fault. When asked why this didn’t constitute as Self’s responsibility, to ensure his player was edibility, an IARP said this:
“We found no credible and persuasive evidence that suggested that Kansas or the coaching staff knew that these payments were being made,” IARP panel chief Christina Guerola Sarchio said.
Three years of probation for KU men’s basketball will run from Oct. 11, 2023 to Oct. 10, 2026. During the probation period, Kansas will be required to uphold the following agreements.
- Require all compliance staff and men’s basketball staff to attend NCAA
Regional Rules Seminars in each year of the probation period.
▪ The compliance staff shall share and disseminate information it learned
with other members of the athletics department, including coaching
staff.
▪ Information regarding Regional Rules Seminars attendance and the
dissemination of information learned shall be included in the
institution’s compliance report.
▪ By April 1, 2024, 2025 and 2026, Kansas shall file with the NCAA
Office of the Committees on Infractions a plan outlining who will
attend the Regional Rules Seminars and how information learned will
be distributed to other members of the athletics compliance office. - Inform all men’s basketball prospective student-athletes in writing that the
institution is on probation for three years, detailing violations committed. If a
prospective student-athlete takes an official paid visit, information regarding
violations, penalties and terms of probation must be provided in advance of the
visit; otherwise, the information must be provided before a prospective
student-athlete signs a National Letter of Intent. - Publicize specific and understandable information concerning the nature of the
infractions by providing, at a minimum, a statement to include the types of
violations and the affected sport programs and a direct, conspicuous link to the
public infractions report located on the athletics department’s main webpage.
The information shall also be included in media guides and in an alumni
publication. - File with the Office of the Committees on Infractions annual compliance
reports regarding the implementation of the prescribed penalties and
educational efforts for the athletics department staff, including men’s
basketball coaches, by October 1 during each year of probation.
The hearing panel accepted Kansas’ self-imposed penalties for bothhead men’s basketball coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend and chose not to apply any additional penalties.
More information regarding these findings can be found here.
