Kansas coach Bill Self suspends four games, imposes recruitment restrictions amid ongoing investigation

kansas The school announced Wednesday that coach Bill Self and his assistant principal Curtis Townsend have been suspended for four games, in response to the ongoing NCAA investigation into possible wrongdoing by two of its top coaches. The Kansas investigation, which is still unfinished as one of the few ongoing cases being adjudicated through the IARP process, began in 2017.

A source said both Self and Townsend were taken out of the way by Kansas during their live enlistment period in June and July as the NCAA investigation into the program continued. Matt Norlander on CBS Sports during summer. This probably refers to the school’s first self-imposed sanction as part of a collaborative effort with the NCAA to end the investigation, even though several other coaches at Kuwait University were still enlisting in the same period.

The suspensions are just a small part of some of the school’s self-imposed penalties, as her case has come close to being resolved. In addition to taking Self and Townsend off the road earlier this year, they also listed the following:

• Reducing four official visits during the current academic year and in 2023-2024.
• Reducing the total of three scholarships in men’s basketball; To be distributed over the next three years.
• Implement a six-week ban on recruiting contacts, a six-week ban on unofficial visits, and a thirteen-day reduction in the number of recruitment days allowed during the 2022-23 calendar year.
• There are no official visits for late-night 2022 in Phog.

The NCAA investigation of Kansas began in 2017 after an FBI investigation into bribery and corruption within college basketball caught the Jayhawks. Kuwait University received its notification of allegations from the NCAA in September 2019 that included multiple Level 1 violations – the most severe in the NCAA rulebook – that were linked to recruitment infractions, a lack of institutional oversight and a head coach liability charge imposed on Self.

“We hope that these tough penalties we have imposed will help bring the case to an end,” Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff said in a statement. “Until then, we will continue to focus on supporting our students – our outstanding men’s basketball athletes and coaches. Assistant Coach Norm Roberts will serve as interim head coach for the first four games. In accordance with confidentiality guidelines on offense issues, we cannot comment in depth until there is a complete resolution of these matter.”

Self and Townsend missed the first four games of Jayhawk’s #5 season, which will see them battle Nebraska Omaha on November 7, North Dakota on November 10, and Duke of #7 in the Classic Champions Tour on November 15. and Southern Utah on November 18. Their first match will be on November 23 in the Battle of 4 Atlantis against North Carolina State.

1. A Little * Admitting Guilt?

In the initial federal indictment against Kansas, in which prosecutors argued that an Adidas representative agreed to pay a recruiter’s family in Kansas to induce their compliance, Kansas went so far as to not only deny but suggest wrongdoing. He. She He was the victim in the case.

“Earlier today, we learned that the University of Kansas has been named as a victim in a federal indictment,” the University of Kansas said in a 2018 statement. “The indictment does not suggest any wrongdoing by the university, its coaches or its staff. We will fully cooperate with investigators in this matter. Because this is an active investigation, it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time,” he added.

If KS was really the victim—a ridiculous argument to begin with given that it undoubtedly benefited mathematically from such an alleged arrangement—it is hard to imagine that KU would give in and impose any kind of punishment at all if it felt its cause. She was strong enough to win. It’s not a technical admission of some wrongdoing, of course, but it does appear to be a negotiated halfway point that might satisfy the IARP and possibly allow School, Self and Townsend to avoid heavy punishment.

Which leads us to…

2. Aim to avoid postseason ban

Oklahoma State had a rogue aide caught up in the FBI scandal who pleaded guilty to accepting about $20,000 in bribery money to exert his influence on student-athletes in directing them to certain financial advisors. OSU dismissed the assistant, Lamont Evans, upon hearing this news. But the damage done — on top of Evans’ refusal to cooperate with NCAA investigators after his dismissal, which was apparently an aggravating factor in the OSU case — prompted the NCAA to impose a post-season ban against the program in addition to severe recruiting penalties and the loss of scholarships. Although Kansas has faced five (5) level one violations, it appears to be on its way to avoiding such a fate.

The Kuwait University case is being adjudicated through the IARP, the special committee that was formed solely for complex cases in the wake of the FBI scandal. OSU was not. But the industry’s belief is that self-imposed penalties in Kansas, such as keeping Self and Townsend out of the way as well as additional penalties announced Wednesday, may allow them to avoid a post-season ban. If that actually materializes – the IARP penalty timetable remains unclear – it will give the holding National Champions the opportunity to defend their title in 2022-23.

3. Bruce Weber can finally lower his ears

It is possible that both are less discussed And the The most hilarious story of the 2021-22 season was Kansas State coach Bruce Weber’s blunt public refusal to cut his hair until schools faced heat from the FBI scandal, including in particular her cross-state rival, Kansas, for her wrongdoing in the NCAA case Universities. .

Webber was fired after the season ended, so the story has faded a bit. But in March, when his hair quickly spiraled out of control, he took a stand by bragging about running a clean program while taking a bit of a hit on others who (allegedly) didn’t. This included an unveiled stab at KU, who was at the time advancing toward the top seed on her way to an eventual NCAA Championship win.

“We did it the right way,” Weber said. “We did it with our guys graduating. I’m a member of the NCAA Ethics Committee. And at meetings, I was told they’d take care of people working for the FBI. So I told someone, ‘I’m going to grow my hair out until something happens.'” It is clearly still growing. This is the sad part of our job. Think of all the guys in the FBI, Lon Kruger told me the other day. They are all in the NCAA tournament except for one. So I’m proud of what I’ve done.”