From Tait's LJWorld Story:
•The violations alleged to have taken place within the men’s basketball program, the NCAA argued, are “of the kind that significantly undermine and threaten the NCAA collegiate model.” Enforcement staff also took issue with KU not conceding that any Level I violations took place, saying the university was “indifferent” to how the alleged conduct may have adversely affected schools who recruited players in line with NCAA rules.
“The institution’s lack of timely cooperation and failure to acknowledge any responsibility for the alleged Level I violations are in direct contradiction to both the spirit and charge of the Commission and to the expectations of the membership,” the NCAA’s response said.
• (Re: KU's argument Adidas sleazeball T.J. Gassnola was not a school booster) In its response this week, however, the NCAA took to task that argument. NCAA rules, the enforcement staff argued, make it clear that athletic departments are responsible for the actions of their boosters. What’s more, the NCAA said, case precedent has well established that shoe companies that have marketing contracts with a university are a booster of that university.
When KU responded to the Notice of Allegations on March 5, it argued that the concept of an apparel company being a booster and representative of the university’s athletic interest was “novel.”
In its response, NCAA enforcement staff criticized how close KU allowed Gassnola to get to the “storied basketball program” and said KU ignored “red flags” for years which should have indicated that KU’s compliance staff needed to monitor his activities.
The university, the NCAA said, “failed to control and monitor the relationship between Adidas’ representatives with its storied men’s basketball program,” even if Gassnola was acting in his own interests — as KU has argued.
“This failure led to T.J. Gassnola, a convicted criminal and then Adidas outside consultant, having unfiltered access to the men’s basketball program and allowed for Gassnola and Adidas to profoundly influence the institution’s recruitment of elite men’s basketball student-athletes,” the NCAA said.
The NCAA says Self knew in 2012 that Gassnola and his AAU basketball team had been sanctioned by the NCAA. By 2014, a compliance officer with KU learned that the sanction of Gassnola was due to Gassnola’s association as a runner — or someone who helps recruit players — for a professional sports agent.
Yet, the NCAA notes, both Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend “regularly consulted” with Gassnola on recruiting elite basketball prospects. Self and Townsend allowed Gassnola access to closed basketball practices and shoot-arounds where he was allowed to interact with student-athletes, the NCAA said, and Gassnola was also allowed into a secure area for families waiting for their student-athletes to come out of arena locker rooms.
• Tait's conclusion: All told, the allegations carry potential punishments that could keep the basketball program from the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1989 and result in a long-term suspension for Self, in addition to scholarship losses and other penalties.