Memphis, Penny Hardaway hit with seven NCAA violations

Memphis has been hit with seven NCAA violations, including four Level I and two Level II violations. The violations include lack of institutional control, head coach responsibility and failure to monitor.

According to documents obtained by The Commercial Appeal, Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway “failed to demonstrate that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance within the men’s basketball program.” Hardaway himself was involved in at least one Level I violation and two Level II infractions.

The notice of allegations also notes former assistant coach Mike Miller destroyed evidence during his time at Memphis, wiping a computer hard drive prior to investigation.

“A subsequent forensic examination revealed that the former assistant men’s basketball coach’s computer hard drive was formatted on June 5, 2020, and as a result, the data on the computer was deleted,” the amended notice of allegations states. “The Institution failed to conduct an adequate investigation into why the computer’s hard drive was not preserved.”

In the NOA, Allegations 1, 2, 3 and 7 were considered Level I violations, with Allegations 4 and 6 being Level II. Allegation 5’s level was redacted from the report.

Among the details of the Allegations:

• Memphis “violated NCAA responsibility to cooperate legislation” and “obstructed both the NCAA enforcement and CCU investigations on multiple occasions”
• The school “failed to affirmatively report instances of noncompliance to the Association in a timely manner” and “failed to disclose and provide access to all electronic devices”
• Penny Hardaway “violated head coach responsibility legislation when he failed to demonstrate that he promoted an atmosphere of compliance”
• Memphis “failed to establish a culture of compliance in the men’s basketball program” under Hardaway
• “A member of the Institution’s compliance staff acknowledged that the compliance procedures in place at the time of the violations were inadequate and that the violations may not have occurred had an adequate structure been in place to create a culture of compliance”
• “The Institution failed to timely detect and stop the violations. In addition, failure to monitor was found against the Institution”
• Memphis “displayed a lack of institutional control”
• “The Institution has a pattern of noncompliance within the sport program involved” and “displayed intentional, willful or blatant disregard for the NCAA constitution and bylaws”

Memphis either denied the allegations completely or claimed the violations were not worthy of Level I designation.

“The facts do not demonstrate a lack of control, a failure to monitor, a failure to cooperate, or a lack of (redacted) responsibility,” the university wrote in its response to the Independent Accountability Resolution Process on Oct. 25, 2021. “Finally, the NOA contains no specific facts, and it is the specific facts that are imperative for the resolution of this matter.”

In four seasons at Memphis, Hardaway has led the Tigers to an 85-43 overall record, making his first NCAA Tournament appearance as a head coach this season.