LSU releases statement after NCAA levies sanctions for recruiting violations

LSU Football is dealing with more issues off the field concerning their previous regime. The NCAA announced sanctions for the Tigers on Thursday in regards to some violations involving former offensive line coach James Cregg. You can see those sanctions below.

In response to the NCAA sanctions, LSU issued a statement, which Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger posted to Twitter. It read:

“Today’s decision of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions involving a former LSU assistant football coach concludes a 21-month cooperative process between the University and the NCAA. Throughout this process, the University has worked in concert with the enforcement staff to determine the truth and to self-impose sanctions. We are grateful to the Committee and the enforcement staff for their work and for accepting our self-imposed penalties, and we are pleased to be able to move forward as an institution and as a football program. LSU continues to work through the ARP process regarding other allegations of rule violations.”

Additional response from LSU

That wasn’t all from Tigers brass. They also issued a second statement, which Dellenger tweeted, regarding Cregg’s actions, his firing and why the university did so. For context, Cregg won a lawsuit of the school following his firing on the basis he was unjustly fired.

Here was that message:

“We will pursue all legal options available to us including appealing. Today’s decision by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions affirms LSU’s response to the allegations arising out of Coach Cregg’s conduct. Coach Cregg admitted under oath that he contacted and provided athletic gear to a recruit after being warned by compliance staff of the COVID-based no-contact period with recruits. This type of intentional and knowing conduct was charged as a Level I violation by NCAA enforcement staff, and the NCAA Committee on Infractions concluded it was a Level Il-aggravated violation for Coach Cregg and constitutes Level Il-mitigated violation for LSU. The university was given credit for responding promptly in terminating Cregg and self-imposing penalties, which the committee accepted. We believe this decision fully supports the hard work of our athletics compliance staff and our decision regarding this coach.”

NCAA sanctions for LSU Football

The NCAA released its ruling regarding LSU infractions centered around former Tigers offensive line coach James Cregg on Thursday.

The ruling describes how the LSU football program violated recruiting rules when a former assistant coach (Cregg) and former assistant director of recruiting met separately with a prospect during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period and provided the prospect with impermissible recruiting inducements.

The panel classified the case as Level II-mitigated for the university, Level II-aggravated for the former assistant coach and Level II-standard for the former assistant director of recruiting. The penalties include:

• One year of probation.
• A $5,000 fine (self-imposed).
• A limit of official visits for football to 55 during the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
• A one-week prohibition against unofficial visits in the football program prior to the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
• A one-week prohibition against recruiting communications in the football program prior to the start of the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
• A reduction of seven evaluation days in the football program during the fall 2021 evaluation period (self-imposed).
• A three-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach. During that period, any NCAA member school employing him must restrict him from any off-campus recruiting activities unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply.