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Baylor cited for failure to monitor

Baylor University failed to monitor its men’s and women’s basketball programs and violated recruiting rules, according to findings by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions. The current men’s basketball head coach also was cited for failure to monitor, and a former assistant men’s basketball coach was found to have engaged in unethical conduct, according to the findings.

Penalties in this case include three years of probation, recruiting restrictions and scholarship reductions. The current head men’s basketball coach received a suspension of two conference games next year and telephone call recruiting restrictions. The former assistant men’s coach received a one-year show-cause for recruiting activities. The current head women’s basketball coach received off-campus and telephone recruiting restrictions.

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. The NCAA enforcement staff, university and involved individuals must agree to the facts of the case in order for this process to be utilized instead of having a formal hearing.

        The violations in the men’s and women’s basketball programs occurred over four years and included approximately 750 impermissible recruiting text messages and more than 500 recruiting calls not allowed under NCAA rules, which are created and adopted by member schools.  According to the findings in the case, the head men’s basketball coach did not adequately monitor the program, which was related to his failure to inform the administration of a potential violation and insufficient oversight of his two assistant coaches’ recruitment activities. In addition, a former assistant men’s basketball coach committed unethical conduct when he attempted to influence two nonscholastic coaches to provide false and misleading information during the investigation.

The men’s basketball program also was found to have impermissibly used talent scouts at its basketball clinics. The case included multiple secondary violations as well, which are outlined in the public report. These included violations in the women’s basketball program for the employment of prospects at university camps, recruiting publicity by a booster organization and impermissible inducements and contacts with two prospects.

Overall, the public report fully details all of the penalties in this case, which include:

• Public reprimand and censure.
• Three years of probation from April 11, 2012, through April 10, 2015.

Men’s basketball

• The head men’s basketball coach must be suspended from all coaching duties during the first two conference games of the 2012-13 season.
• One-year show-cause order for former assistant men’s basketball coach, which prohibits any recruiting activity.
• Reduction of one scholarship (from 13 to 12) for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
• Reduction of five official visits (from 12 to 7) for the 2012-13 academic year.
• Reduction of 15 recruiting evaluation days (from 130 to 115) for the 2012-13 academic year.

Women’s basketball

• Reduction of two scholarships (from 15 to 13) for the 2011-12 academic year.
• The head women’s basketball coach will not participate in off-campus recruiting for the full summer recruiting period (July 1 – 31, 2012).
• An assistant women’s basketball coach will not place any recruiting calls during a four-month period from January through April, 2012.

The Division I Committee on Infractions is an independent group comprised of representatives across NCAA membership and the public. The members of the committee who reviewed this case include Melissa (Missy) Conboy, deputy director of athletics at the University of Notre Dame and acting chair of the Committee on Infractions. Other members are John S. Black, attorney; Eleanor Myers, faculty athletics representative and law professor at Temple University; James O’Fallon, law professor and faculty athletics representative for University of Oregon; Gregory Sankey, executive associate commissioner and chief operating officer of the Southeastern Conference; and Dennis Thomas, commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Read the public report here.