School made impermissible phone calls, text messages in three-year span
ISU athletics director Jamie Pollard was fined 25,000 dollars by the Big 12 for comments made after Iowa State’s loss to Oklahoma State. Pollard said Iowa State has been “on the short end” of controversial calls.
April 2, 2013
The ISU athletic department has entered into a summary disposition with the NCAA as a result of impermissible phone calls and text messages sent from 2008 to 2011, according to a news release issued on April 2, 2013.
Self-imposed penalties, which were enforced for the 2011-12 academic year, include a reduction in the number of coaches traveling to recruit as well as a reduction in the number of phone calls that could be made during a four-month period. Also included in the self-imposed penalties is the requirement for all coaches to attend a compliance education session regarding phone calls and text messages.
The sports, however, have not been disclosed.
The department also recommended that the school be placed on a two-year probation, according to the release. Details about the proposed probation, however, have not been released.
“We are hopeful the NCAA will recognize our sincere effort to adhere to NCAA rules and will accept our self-imposed sanctions,” said ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard in the news release. “We are definitely a stronger organization as a result of what we learned about our internal monitoring system and we look forward to resolving these self-reported violations in a timely manner.”
Of the more than 750,000 phone calls made in the three-year period, 79 were made during the time in which coaches and their staffs were not allowed to call recruits. The department also found 1,405 calls that were made but did not connect, according to the release.
Both of those are NCAA violations.
As it stands right now, if the NCAA’s committee on infractions decides that the school did not do a thorough-enough investigation in its reporting of the infractions, then a hearing and a further investigation will be conducted. The committee also reserves the right to suggest more penalties if it decides the self-imposed penalties by the school to be insufficient.
The release stated that the university will not comment any further on the case until it is resolved with the NCAA.
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