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University of Cincinnati violates recruiting rules

NCAA.org

The University of Cincinnati committed a major violation in its women’s basketball program and secondary violations in its women’s basketball and football programs, according to findings by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions. The university self-discovered and self-reported the violations in this case, which involved 220 impermissible recruiting telephone calls.

Penalties in this case include coaching and recruiting restrictions and two years probation for the university. A former women’s basketball assistant coach also received a one-year show-cause order, which restricts his recruiting activity at any NCAA member school during that time.

This case was resolved through the summary disposition process, a cooperative effort where the involved parties collectively submit the case to the Committee on Infractions in written form. When the NCAA enforcement staff, the university and involved individuals agree to the facts of the case and the university-proposed penalties, they may use this process instead of having a formal hearing.

A former women’s basketball assistant coach made 176 impermissible recruiting calls to prospective student-athletes, their relatives or legal guardian. In addition, secondary violations occurred when other members of the women’s basketball coaching staff placed 24 impermissible recruiting calls to six prospective student-athletes and members of the football coaching staff placed 20 impermissible recruiting calls to 12 prospective student-athletes.

The penalties include:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Two years of probation from September 29, 2011, through September 28, 2013.
• One-year show-cause order for a former women’s basketball assistant coach. The public report further details these conditions.
• Limit of three women’s basketball staff members performing recruiting coordination (University imposed).
• Prohibited head women’s basketball coach from making calls to unsigned prospective student-athletes for a two-week period (University imposed).
• Prohibited two assistant woman’s basketball coaches from making calls to unsigned prospective student-athletes for five- and one-week periods (University imposed).
• Reduced the women’s basketball coaching staff to three countable coaches for a six-month period during the 2010-11 season (University imposed).
• Prohibited the football coaching staff from having recruiting telephone contact during four different time periods in 2011 (University imposed).
• Prohibited three assistant football coaches from making calls to prospective student-athletes during varying time periods in the summer of 2011 (University imposed).

The members of the Division I Committee on Infractions who reviewed this case include Dennis Thomas, the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and chair of the Committee on Infractions. Other members are Roscoe C. Howard, Jr., attorney; John Black, attorney; Greg Sankey, associate commissioner of compliance for the Southeastern Conference; Eleanor Myers, faculty athletics representative and law professor at Temple University; James O'Fallon, law professor and faculty athletics representative at the University of Oregon; and Britton Banowsky, commissioner of Conference USA.