Memphis basketball penalties

[Halldan1]

Memphis basketball penalties: NCAA violations in recruitment of James Wiseman not enough for postseason ban

Tigers coach Penny Hardaway avoids punishment too, as the IARP hands down light punishments on Memphis basketball

www.cbssports.com

By Matt Norlander

Tigers coach Penny Hardaway avoids punishment, as the IARP hands down light punishments on Memphis basketball​

Thirty-four months after an investigation began, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP), finally ruled on Memphis' case involving NCAA rules violations in the recruitment of James Wiseman.

The verdict: Memphis' punishment isn't major. In fact, it's just the opposite. The IARP ruled Tuesday that the university must pay a $5,000 fine, in addition to "0.25% of its average men's basketball budget based on the average of the men's basketball program's previous three total budgets."

The program will go on probation, effective immediately, until Sept. 26, 2025. The school also has to vacate the two wins and all Wiseman-related stats from the three games he participated in back in November 2019.

Tigers coach Penny Hardaway was not directly assessed any penalties, and biggest of all, Memphis avoided a postseason ban.

"We have finally arrived at the end of an extremely challenging period, and I could not be more grateful," Hardaway said in a statement. "Our university and athletic department leadership worked tirelessly to help present the facts of our case. I am thankful to the IARP for allowing us to present those facts and making its decision based on the facts. It's now time to put all of this behind us. Brighter days are ahead, and we cannot wait to share in future successes as one Memphis."

The university initially was levied with seven total violations (four Level I), three of which were tied to Hardaway -- one Level I and two Level II infractions. The notice of allegations accused Hardaway of not establishing a "culture of compliance" as head coach of the men's basketball program.

But in Tuesday's ruling, the IARP stated that Hardaway's "long-standing philanthropic commitment, particularly to youth in the economically disadvantaged Memphis community, even prior to becoming an athletics booster" was a factor in its decision-making on this matter.

The penalties stem from a violation that occurred when Wiseman was in high school. Before Penny Hardaway became Memphis' men's basketball coach -- before he was employed by the university -- Hardaway paid $11,500 to help Wiseman's family cover moving expenses from Nashville in order for the Wiseman family to relocate to Memphis. Wiseman finished his high school career at Memphis East High School.

Given that Hardaway is a prominent Memphis alumnus, he was deemed a booster at the time. This triggered a rule violation.

Wiseman opted to play three games to start the 2019-20 season, in defiance of the NCAA's ruling, before turning course. After initially fighting the NCAA, Wiseman and his representatives withdrew the suit. The NCAA ruled he would have to sit for 12 games. Wiseman left Memphis' program in December 2019. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors.

The IARP "concluded that Memphis failed to monitor the education and activities of the head coach by not providing sufficient education to him regarding permissible activities for boosters and failing to ask the head coach about any financial contributions he had made to prospective student-athletes and their families in the Memphis community or any other relationships he may have developed with the high school or AAU players he had coached.

"The hearing panel also concluded that the institution's leadership allowed [Wiseman] to participate in a November 5, 2019, basketball contest without informing the head coach until after the contest that [Wiseman] had been determined to be ineligible to play," the IARP's press release states.

Being that this is an IARP case, there are no appeals allowed. This ruling is final and the case matter is complete.

"This investigation has been a cloud over the men's basketball program for three years, and we are happy to have the process concluded," Memphis president Bill Hardgrave said in a statement. "I would like to express sincere gratitude to members of our university staff, athletic department staff and legal team who devoted significant time to preparing the facts of our case, as well as the IARP for attentively listening to those facts and thoughtfully rendering its decision. We respect and will fully comply with the IARP's decision."

The IARP, which formed in 2019 as a 15-person panel and will dissolve in the coming months, took on Memphis' case on March 4, 2020. The IARP was created at the suggestion of the Rice Commission on College Basketball. That commission formed after the federal government's sting operation into bribery and fraud in college basketball became public.

This IARP ruling against Memphis comes five years and one day after that FBI case went public.

Tuesday's ruling marks the first in what will be the five final cases the IARP takes on. Louisville, Arizona, Kansas and LSU all still await their fates, and unlike Memphis, those four schools' cases are tied to the FBI probe.

 

[CaptBob]

 

[JTSHU]

5k lol

 

[HallBall02]

The lawyers used the North Carolina play book to a degree (phony class for athletes and others).

It was argued it wasnt the coaches or the AD, it was the university that messed up bc they never told Penny he was doing anything wrong (what?) and so the NCAA doesn’t have jurisdiction to levy any big penalties against university.

The NCAA is such a joke in terms of uneven punishments.

 

[Halldan1]

Memphis lawyers step up in the clutch as Penny Hardaway's program picks up massive win in IARP case

The Tigers were delivered, essentially, a slap on the wrist in relation to the James Wiseman eligibility case

www.cbssports.com

Memphis lawyers step up in the clutch as Penny Hardaway's program picks up massive win in IARP case​

The Tigers were delivered, essentially, a slap on the wrist in relation to the James Wiseman eligibility case​

By Gary Parrish


MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- In the months leading up to Tuesday's announcement detailing how Memphis has been punished in relation to its IARP case that was triggered by the school's decision in 2019 to play five-star freshman James Wiseman in defiance of the NCAA, the consensus was that anything short of a postseason ban should be considered a win.

So, needless to say, they are celebrating in Penny Hardaway's office as the Tigers got a favorable outcome.

The only real punishments -- and feel free to roll your eyes at "real punishments" -- are three years probation and a $5,000 fine. No postseason ban. No suspension for Hardaway. No scholarship reductions. Practically speaking, things could not have turned out better for a Memphis program that was charged with four Level I violations but ultimately convicted of zero.

"We have finally arrived at the end of an extremely challenging period, and I could not be more grateful," Hardaway said. "I would like to thank our players and their families, as well as our coaches and our support staff, for continuing to focus on what we could control as this process lingered. Believe me, none of this was easy, but this group always had faith. ... Our university and athletic department leadership worked tirelessly to help present the facts of our case. I am thankful to the IARP for allowing us to present those facts and making its decision based on the facts. It's now time to put all of this behind us."

Though the cases are related to different infractions, it appears Memphis more or less beat the NCAA with a similar defense to the one North Carolina used to beat the NCAA five years ago. In that case, you might remember UNC successfully argued that because the fraudulent classes some athletes took to maintain their eligibility were also available to non-athletes, they could not be in violation of any NCAA rule because athletes and non-athletes alike both benefitted from them. In this case, Memphis successfully argued that because Hardaway has been philanthropic for decades, and financially assisted basketball players and non-basketball players alike, the $11,500 he admittedly gave to Wiseman's family to cover "moving expenses" from Nashville to Memphis (before ever even becoming the Memphis coach) should not be in violation of any NCAA rule.

Hats off to the lawyers.

"The history of the coach being involved with philanthropic activities was significant," said Hugh Fraser, an arbitrator who served as the case's lead panel member. "That history, his philanthropy was so extensive, he was providing benefits that were generally available to the wider community."

Fraser went on to explain that even though Wiseman had eligibility issues before the 2019-20 season-opener, it is his panel's belief that Hardaway initially played the eventual No. 2 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft with no knowledge of this fact. Understandably, some media members on Tuesday's Zoom call were skeptical. The Athletic's Dana O'Neil asked Fraser if it "stretched the imagination" to believe Hardaway could really be in the dark about the eligibility status of his prized recruit. Fraser responded, in part, by saying that, broadly speaking, "coaches don't get too deep into the eligibility issues."

That's obviously a ridiculous statement.

The truth is that coaches are often way deep into the eligibility issues of their prized recruits, which is why it's hard for most who understand the inner-workings of the sport to buy that Hardaway was truly in the dark about the status of Wiseman's eligibility. If so, that's a real failure on the administration's part.

For the purposes of this column, I'll take everybody at their word. But it should be noted that Hardaway was asked countless times in November 2019 why he chose to play Wiseman in defiance of the NCAA. Never once, at that time, did he say anything that suggested he was unaware Wiseman had eligibility issues before he placed the 7-foot-1 center into the starting lineup against South Carolina State.

But I digress ...

Again, hats off to the lawyers. They're the real stars of this thing.

 

[radecicco]

Did anyone really expect a different outcome? SMH.

 

[ed odowd]

Looks like Kansas will get strongly worded letter telling them not to do it again LOL

 

[pokeyshu]

The NCAA is holding on by the skin of it's teeth, very hard to do when you're toothless.
When the eventual P5/6 split happens they want to make sure they have a seat somewhere at the banquet,even if it's in the kitchen.

 

[HallBall02]

Did anyone really expect a different outcome? SMH.

While I am not surprised the NCAA would mess this up, not be consistent, and not answer follow questions well on to why they choose the punishment they did...(how can they believe Penny didnt know the rules when reporters were asking him about it numerous times postgame, what?) Also since he paid HS players to play for his team, the NCAA says he should be rewarded for his philanthropy? He did it to land players for his AAU team, haha.

Anyway, Memphis isn't a power 5 conference, they had 4 Level 1 infractions (which previously ended very badly for schools), and Memphis ignored the instructions to not play a player for 3 games until the player, not Memphis, shut himself down for the season.

Also the same infractions committee gave Oklahoma state no postseason, etc, for what a former assistant did years before with Penny still at the school with no punishment levied.

So I am very surprised at the outcome.