After months and months of ongoing "investigation," the NCAA is set today to announce its findings and levy penalties against the University of Connecticut. In a typically toothless display, the NCAA genuflects to UConn and Calhoun with a slap on the wrist: According to the Connecticut News, the NCAA has levied the following:
The NCAA hit former UConn director of operations Beau Archibald pretty hard, giving him a two-year show cause.
Former UConn assistant Pat Sellers was not mentioned and faces no punishment. He was essentially cleared.
There is no postseason ban among the penalties, as expected.
More penalities after The Jump:
UConn’s probationary period was extended from two years to three. And the years it will be forced to reduce its scholarship total by one was extended from two years to three.
The penalties imposed by the NCAA are as follows:
Public reprimand and censure.
Three years of probation from Feb. 22, 2011, through Feb. 21, 2014.
Calhoun must be suspended from all coaching duties for the first three conference games of the 2011-12 season. He cannot be present in the arena where the games are played and cannot have contact with the coaching staff or student-athletes during the games.
Two-year show-cause order for the former operations director (Beau Archibald).
Permanent disassociation of the involved booster (Josh Nochimson).
Reduction of men’s basketball athletics scholarships from 13 to 12 for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
Ban on men’s basketball recruiting calls during the 2011-12 academic year until 30 days after the first day that phone calls are allowed.
Reduction in the number of men’s basketball coaches allowed to make phone calls from three to two, not including the head basketball coach, for six months after the university’s response to the notice of allegations (self-imposed by the university).
Reduction of the number of men’s basketball off-campus recruiting days by 40, from 130 to 90, for the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 recruiting periods.
Limit of five official paid visits for men’s basketball for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 academic years.
The head coach, assistant coach and all members of the compliance staff must attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar.
Sure, some will point to UConn''s self-imposed penalties of severing ties with a few assistant coaches and cutting scholarships, but isn't the real story that the HEAD COACH failed to create an atmosphere of compliance? The NCAA presented evidence that UConn assistants "made hundreds of improper calls and text messages to recruits, gave recruits improper benefits and improperly distributed free tickets to high school coaches and others."
Are we to believe that all this was without the knowledge of the suddenly saintly - or is it senile - Coach Calhoun?
What the f*ck did he think his assistants were doing? Is it even plausible to believe that he never got on the phone with the kids being recruited?
There's always been discussion of the NCAA selectively enforcing its rules and these sorts of decisions reek to no end. Query how this would have come down had UConn not been looking at a Top 4 seed in the Tournament this year and instead fighting for an NIT berth just like last year.
In case you have nothing better to do, the entire NCAA report is HERE.
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/1953700/GYI0063577500.jpg)