KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The University of Kansas has informed the NCAA’s independent review panel that it is self-imposing sanctions against the Jayhawks’ men’s basketball program in response to its ongoing basketball infractions case, which originated in 2017.
According to KU, the self-imposed sanctions include a four-game suspension for head coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend, to be served during the first four regular-season games of the upcoming season.
The NCAA is investigating KU for five alleged Level One violations in the program. The case, which involves no current players, started in September 2017, when the FBI arrested 10 individuals in a widespread scheme to “defraud” college basketball.
Also self-imposed by the school:
— the absence of Self and Townsend from all off-campus recruiting-related activities for four months (April-July 2022)
— the reduction of four official visits during this academic year and in 2023-24
— the reduction of three total scholarships in basketball to be distributed over the next three years
— the implementation of a six-week ban on recruiting communications
— a six-week ban on unofficial visits
— and a 13-day reduction in the number of permissible recruiting days during the 2022-23 calendar year.
Also, according to the university, there were no official recruiting visits for the recent 2022 Late Night in the Phog.
Self, according to KU, will coach the team at practice during the self-imposed sanction period; but he will not be around the team during a 24-hour period surrounding game day for KU’s first four games.
“Throughout this process, we have had ongoing conversations with all the involved parties,” KU chancellor Douglas A. Girod said in the school’s news release announcing the self-imposed penalties. “We believe the actions we are announcing today move us closer to resolving this matter. We look forward to commenting further when this process is fully resolved. Until then, I want to reiterate our unwavering support of Coach Self and our Men’s Basketball program.”
Added KU athletic director Travis Goff in the news release:
“We are hopeful these difficult self-imposed sanctions will assist in bringing the case to a conclusion. Until then, we will continue to focus on supporting our outstanding men’s basketball student-athletes and coaches. Assistant coach Norm Roberts will serve as interim head coach during the first four games. Per confidentiality guidelines related to infraction cases, we are unable to comment in depth until there is full resolution of this matter.”
Self also weighed in with a statement in the news release:
“Coach Townsend and I accept and support KU’s decision to self-impose these sanctions,” Self said. “We are in good hands with Coach Roberts, and I am confident that he will do a great job on the bench leading our team. I am proud of the way our guys have handled this situation and I look forward to returning to the bench for our game against NC State.”
KU received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA in September 2019. It stems from allegations that Adidas representatives provided recruits’ families or guardians money as a recruiting inducement to attend KU.
KU has claimed to have no knowledge of any money handed from Adidas to prospects. Self in 2019 responded to the notice of allegations by saying the notice was “unsubstantiated,” and that he and the university would “vigorously dispute” the allegations.
The KU case is in front of the IARP — the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Resolution Process — which was created amid fallout from the FBI investigation. Several programs, KU among them, are awaiting resolution of their respective infractions cases with the IARP.
The NCAA contends that former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola was acting as a booster of KU when he paid $90,000 to the mother of former KU player Billy Preston and $2,500 to the guardian former KU player Silvio De Sousa.
KU has denied wrongdoing and has held firm to its position that Adidas is not a booster of the school.
Both KU and Self have attorneys working the case and monitoring developments. KU officials indicated Wednesday that they will have no further comment on the matter until after Thursday’s exhibition game against Pittsburg State, when Self is expected to address the media after coaching his team against the Div. II Gorillas.
