Major Violations at Chattanooga

[PantherRob82]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/14003178/ncaa-confirms-major-violations-in-chattanooga-programs/rss


CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The NCAA cited Chattanooga for major violations Thursday in its athletics program by failing to monitor phone calls and text messages by coaches to recruits and for the men's basketball coach's failure to protect the integrity of the investigation.

The Division I Committee on Infractions released its findings after resolving the probe through a summary disposition that did not involve a hearing in Indianapolis.

Chattanooga will be publicly reprimanded and censured and placed on probation starting Thursday until Sept. 22, 2012, for 137 impermissible texts and 74 phone calls


Doesn't sound like a huge deal yet, but I had never read anything about it.

[darell1976]

The probation penalties do not ban the Mocs from postseason play or from competing on television.

What is their punishment??

[PantherRob82]

The article mentions loss of a scholarship, recruiting and stuff.

[darell1976]

The article mentions loss of a scholarship, recruiting and stuff.

Missed it my bad. But why wouldn't they be banned from postseason play? USC did the same thing but is cash the only difference?

[EmeryZach]

I don't think this will have a huge impact on the football team.

[chattanoogamocs]

It says in the report that all the violations were secondary, but since they happened in the same time frame, it was considered major because they became "linked".

The title makes it sound really ugly when in reality, it wasn't...Chattanooga self-reported, "pre-disciplined" itself and corrected the problem by adding more compliance staff. No loss of scholarship, no post-season ban for football. All the discipline has already been served, this announcement is really just a (required) final report.

The whole incident stemmed from when Rodney Allison's staff was let go and Jason McManus stayed in a caretaker role until a new coach (Russ Huesman) was hired. Apparently Jason made a lot of extra phone calls to try and keep recruits when he shouldn't have (and ironically, most of them moved on anyway).

Sadly, this was more an issue of ignorance/incompetence of the rules than willful violation. But, that is no excuse and Chattanooga didn't try to cover anything up...as a matter of fact, after finding out about McManus (and dismissing him), they went through and self-assessed all 17 sports and that was when they found that some of the other sports made the same mistakes (though some of them, like women's basketball, were reported for literally making one phone call...not exactly a ship full of thieves and liars ;))

When I first heard about it today, I freaked...then when I actually read all of the report, I just kinda shrugged.

Kudos to AD Rick Hart for handling this mess properly and not trying to lie or hide anything. Good riddance to the whole incompetent Rodney Allison/AD Steve Sloan era at UTC.

[chattanoogamocs]

The article mentions loss of a scholarship, recruiting and stuff.

Mocs will lose one basketball scholarship this season...all other recruiting restrictions, etc, have already been served.

The "probation" part for the next two years will be just a closer than usual inspection to make sure none of the violations have happened again (UTC tripled their compliance staff in the last two years specifically to make sure nothing like this happens again)

[BlueHenSinfonian]

I'd agree that the violations are hardly major. What's the big deal about some extra phone calls to potential recruits? I'm surprised there is even a rule about it.

[chattanoogamocs]

I'd agree that the violations are hardly major. What's the big deal about some extra phone calls to potential recruits? I'm surprised there is even a rule about it.


That rule came about a few years ago because with the advent of every 10 year old haivng a cell phone, coaches were calling recruits constantly...the recruits/student-athlete's were the one to advocate for the limits.

Ironically, I was just reading an article about this on ESPN. One coach interviewed felt the same as you, he said "every phone has caller ID, I ignore calls all the time...if a recruit doesn't want to talk to a coach, don't answer the phone"

The article also mentioned a coach saying "if you want to call outside of the designated times, all you have to do to get away with it is to buy a pre-paid throwaway cell."

[Syntax Error]

I'd agree that the violations are hardly major. What's the big deal about some extra phone calls to potential recruits? I'm surprised there is even a rule about it.

ROBO recruiting calls are a nuisance so I see the point of the rule.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Are there any APR ramifications to this? It sounds like there isn't.

[chattanoogamocs]

Are there any APR ramifications to this? It sounds like there isn't.

No, APR ramifications...completely different area of enforcement.

No real ramifications at all for football. Basically a slap on the hand and someone looking over the shoulder for the next 24 months to make sure it doesn't happen again.

[soweagle]

No, APR ramifications...completely different area of enforcement.

No real ramifications at all for football. Basically a slap on the hand and someone looking over the shoulder for the next 24 months to make sure it doesn't happen again.

How do they watch over you for something as calling recruits? Do they check phone records of recruiters?

[UCMoc]

How do they watch over you for something as calling recruits? Do they check phone records of recruiters?

All the phones are supposed to be registered to the athletic department. They check those records. Using unauthorized phones is also a violation.

[SpeedkingATL]

Nice to know that Huesman won't have any more mess to clean up than he already has had to deal with.

[asknoquarter21]

They are still under restrictions for prior violations aren't they?

Loss of schollies, and not being able to have friday night walk throughs?

[UCMoc]

They are still under restrictions for prior violations aren't they?

Loss of schollies, and not being able to have friday night walk throughs?

Not recruiting violations, academic issues. They lost scholarships and had the number of allowed practice hours decreased.

[asknoquarter21]

Not recruiting violations, academic issues. They lost scholarships and had the number of allowed practice hours decreased.

yea, I thought I remembered something, but wasn't sure exactly.

[chattanoogamocs]

A good commentary on the Times-Free Press today that sums up what happened (it lays the correct blame on what mistakes UTC made, but also kinda show the absurdity of NCAA enforcement)

On June 21, 2009, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga basketball coach John Shulman received the following text message from a future Moc: “Happy Father’s Day!”

Understandably touched, Shulman responded, “Thanks.”

The coach had just broken an NCAA recruiting rule.

“I realize now that that was a violation, but it won’t happen again,” a shaken Shulman said Thursday following UTC’s announcement that it is beginning a two-year NCAA probation for a number of secondary violations involving impermissible or excessive phone calls and texts, including that one.

“I’ve been calling people closest to me in the profession all day to tell them about it,” Shulman said. “They’ve been tough phone calls.”

Former UNLV basketball coach and infamous NCAA target Jerry Tarkanian once darkly joked, “The NCAA’s so mad at Kentucky that it just put Cleveland State on probation.”

In light of the NCAA’s recent visits to Knoxville, it’s tempting to paraphrase that statement: “The NCAA’s so mad at Tennessee, it just put UTC on probation.”

But that doesn’t mean the NCAA was wrong about the Chattanooga campus. It has a 432-page book of rules on its side. Shulman and his coaches ran afoul of a few of those rules. The football program under former coach Rodney Allison fumbled a few more of them.

Full article:
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/sep/24/wiedmer-utc-shulman-particular-learn-tough-lessons/