NCAA fires back at KU, alleging ‘egregious, severe’ violations by Bill Self’s program https://t.co/4tWJzmm1m7
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) May 7, 2020
“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.”
“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.”
Self’s lawyers also issued a statement disputing the NCAA’s response.
“Coach Self continues to vigorously maintain that the allegations claimed are simply an incomplete collection of misleading assertions, conclusory statements and groundless insinuations,” read the statement from attorneys Scott Tompsett and William Sullivan. “The NCAA’s false narrative starkly contradicts both the developed factual record in this matter as well as the federal criminal trial testimony and verdict, and it is undisputed that the enforcement staff’s own Notice of Allegations includes no claims that Coach Self knew or should have known of any improper payments, which is consistent with the trial evidence and testimony that proved through the jury verdict that Adidas employees intentionally concealed these payments from both Coach Self and his assistant coaches.”
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.
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