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Kabongo suspended for unethical conduct,
accepting benefits

University of Texas basketball student-athlete Myck Kabongo, who accepted impermissible benefits and then provided false statements about the situation, must sit out 23 games, according to the appeal decision today by the Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement. According to the facts of the case submitted by the university, Kabongo accepted airfare, personal training instruction and then provided false and misleading information during two separate interviews with university officials.

As a result, Kabongo must miss 23 games for unethical conduct and must repay approximately $475 in impermissible benefits to a charity of his choice. This includes the 10-game withholding condition the university self-imposed as a part of its request to reinstate Kabongo’s eligibility.

The university was notified December 14 of the decision by the student-athlete reinstatement staff. The committee heard the university’s appeal yesterday and modified the staff decision, which was a one-year withholding.

When an NCAA member school discovers a rules violation has occurred involving a student-athlete, it must declare the student-athlete ineligible and may request eligibility be reinstated by the NCAA. As part of that process, the university self-imposed a 10-game withholding penalty for Kabongo and requested reinstatement for December 19. 

After receiving the reinstatement request on November 13, NCAA staff asked for additional information from the UT compliance department in an effort to gather all pertinent information and facts, with the goal being to render a decision prior to the December 19 contest. The university and NCAA continued to work together to gather the information, with the university submitting the final set of requested information on December 12.

The reinstatement committee is the final appeal opportunity. It is comprised of representatives from NCAA member colleges, universities and athletic conferences and can reduce or remove the conditions, but it cannot increase the conditions imposed by the staff.