(ap/yahoosports) The University of Kansas and the NCAA are continuing their argument about allegations of rules violations allegedly committed by KU basketball coaches during the recruitment of several players.
The NCAA served notice in September of 5 level 1 violations and other infractions. Kansas has denied those allegations.
The NCAA in its latest response, released by KU Thursday, reiterated its claim that Adidas representatives were acting as boosters when two of them – T.J. Gassnolo and Jim Gatto – helped to arrange payments to prospective recruits. Those transactions became a central point in a wide-ranging FBI probe into college basketball that has ensnared Kansas, Louisville and several other high-profile programs. The NCAA is calling the alleged violations “egregious” and argues that “they undermine and threaten” college athletics.
“The institution secured significant recruiting and competitive advantages by committing alleged Level I men’s basketball violations,” the NCAA said. “The institution, in taking its defiant posture in this case, is indifferent to how alleged violations may have adversely impacted other NCAA institutions who acted in compliance with NCAA legislation.”
Officials from Kansas agree with the NCAA that Gassnola made payments to family members and handlers of two players, Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa. But coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend said they were unaware of the transactions, backing up a statement Gassnola made during sworn testimony.
The NCAA has countered with video and text documents that tie Self, Townsend and another assistant coach, Jerrance Howard, to Gassnola within the past five years. The governing body also pointed out that Adidas paid about $250,000 for an induction party for Self when he was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
This evidence, the NCAA argues, is “overwhelming factual information that demonstrates Adidas, Gassnola and Gatto promoted the institutions interests and, therefore, are boosters.”
Kansas has responded, “For the NCAA enforcement staff to allege that the university should be held responsible for these payments is a distortion of the facts and a gross misapplication of NCAA bylaws and case precedent.”
“The university absolutely would accept responsibility if it believe that violations had occurred,” the school said, “as we have demonstrated with other self-reported infractions. Chancellor (Douglas) Girod, (athletic director) Jeff Long and KU stand firmly behind Coach Self, his staff and our men’s basketball program, as well as our robust compliance program.”
The next step in this process is for the NCAA and Kansas to agree on a hearing date with the Committee on Infractions.
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