NCAA resolution
In the spring of 2024, Arizona State University negotiated a resolution to its NCAA infractions case. In doing so, ASU agreed that former members of its football staff and a booster committed Level I recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to ASU’s actions and its exemplary cooperation during the investigation, ASU received a “mitigated” classification and, thus, the football team’s penalties were at the lowest end of the spectrum of penalties associated with a Level I infractions case.
The agreed-upon infractions in ASU’s case included in-person recruiting contacts during the COVID-19dead period, recruiting inducements, impermissible tryouts, and tampering with an NCAA student-athlete at another institution. The parties agreed that the underlying violations demonstrated unethical conduct by a number of former staff members and a head-coach-responsibility violation for the former head coach. ASU also agreed to accept a failure-to-monitor charge.
The penalties negotiated by ASU with the NCAA enforcement staff and the Division I Committee on Infractions included: four years of probation, a post-season ban at the end of the 2023 football season, vacating records for regular-season football games, disassociation of a booster, scholarship reductions, and recruiting activity restrictions
ASU has fulfilled all the recruiting penalties to which it agreed as a result of its case.
For further information, please see comments already issued in this matter:
"Arizona State's cooperation throughout the investigation and processing of this case was exemplary, and the cooperation began with the leadership shown by the university president," said Jason Leonard, chief hearing officer for the NCAA committee on infractions. "The school's acceptance of responsibility and decision to self-impose meaningful core penalties is a model for all schools to follow and is consistent with the expectations of the NCAA's infractions program."
"The COVID dead period rules were created not only for the sake of competitive equity but for the safety and well-being of prospective and enrolled student-athletes and their families," Arizona State president Michael Crow said. "ASU is disappointed and embarrassed by the actions of certain former football staff members who took advantage of a global pandemic to hide their behavior."