Louisville responds to NCAA allegations, Chris Mack tells recruit postseason ban is possible

The NCAA’s final decision on Louisville’s recent recruiting violations are right around the corner.

According to Tim Sullivan of the Courier Journal, Louisville has officially responded to the NCAA Notice of Allegations it received back in May that included one Level I violation and three Level II violations.

The Level I violation was due to an “improper recruiting offer” and “subsequent extra benefits,” while the Level II violations were due to impermissible transportation and contact by staff members, failure to monitor, and failure of compliance by Rick Pitino.

Here was the official release from the University of Louisville:

• A Level I allegation that an improper recruiting offer, and subsequent extra benefits to the family of an enrolled student athlete; and a recruiting inducement to a prospective student-athlete’s non-scholastic coach/trainer, were provided by certain individuals, purportedly identified and defined by the NCAA as “representatives of the university’s athletics interests,” none of whom had traditional connections to the University beyond their affiliation with Adidas or professional athlete management entities, as well as by a former assistant coach and a former associate head coach;
• A Level II allegation of recruiting violations by the same two former men’s basketball coaching staff members in providing impermissible transportation and having impermissible contact in the context of recruitment-related activities;
• A Level II allegation that the institution failed to adequately monitor the recruitment of an incoming, high-profile student-athlete;
• A Level II allegation that the former head men’s basketball coach did not satisfy his head coach responsibility when he failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance;

Pitino and former Louisville AD Tom Jurich were fired back in September of 2017.

While UofL cleaned house amid the allegations, the alleged infractions took place while the program was on probation, leading to the possibility of severe penalties when the NCAA reaches a final decision.

In an interview with Louisville Sports Live on 93.9 The Ville, UofL commit Mike James said that Louisville head coach Chris Mack has told him that the program is expecting a one-year postseason ban “at the most.”

“He said he’s not expecting it to be as bad as people say it will,” James said of his conversations with Mack. “It’s a whole new staff. Nobody from that staff when it was all happening is there now. Louisville basketball already punished themselves, they kept themselves out of the tournament one year. At the most, he thinks it won’t be that bad, a year out of the tournament. He said, “Mike, looking at the other schools on your list, you wouldn’t be getting to the tournament anyway, so you’ll be just fine.” He had a point.”

For comparison’s sake, Oklahoma State received a one-year postseason ban, three years of probation, and recruiting restrictions for a single Level I violation earlier this summer. On the other end of the spectrum, Kansas received five Level I violations for its role in the pay-for-play scandal, with their punishment expected to be handed down in the near future.

The Courier Journal is reporting that Louisville’s official response will be made available next week and that the NCAA’s reply is due in 60 days, by Nov. 15. From there, UofL will have 15 days to request that its case be heard by the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions or that it be submitted to the new Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP).