Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson calls for a defensive stop during the second half of the Arizona vs. San Diego State game at the NCAA Basketball Tournament at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Thursday, March 27, 2014. Arizona won 70-64, advancing to the Elite Eight.
University of Arizona president Robert C. Robbins has ordered an independent investigation into assistant basketball coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson, and the university has begun the process of firing him.
An external law firm will conduct the investigation, Robbins said Wednesday night.
The newly hired UA president had been silent since Tuesday morning, when Richardson was arrested and charged in a federal bribery probe. Federal agents say Sean Miller's longtime assistant took $20,000 from sports agents, and paid one recruit to commit to the University of Arizona. Federal documents seem to implicate at least one current Wildcat in the pay-for-play scheme.
Richardson was suspended with pay and "relieved of all duties" Tuesday afternoon, but was not fired.
"The University of Arizona expects everyone who is part of our campus community to adhere to the highest ethical standards of behavior," Robbins said in a prepared statement.
The president then praised the UA athletic department, saying it had a "documented history of strengthening institutional control by being proactive and comprehensive through rules education and program monitoring."
The Arizona Board of Regents, which is meeting this week in Flagstaff, took a harsher tone against Richardson, who faces 60 years in prison and up to $1.5 million in fines.
"The conduct alleged against Emanuel Richardson is absolutely unacceptable," regents chair Bill Ridenour said.
"Basketball is a beloved sport at the University of Arizona and throughout Arizona. Such illegal β and unethical β behavior is harmful to those we are most committed to serve and educate β the students. It also violates the spirit and purpose of collegiate sport and its essential construct β the student athlete."
The board "will receive additional legal advice regarding the federal investigation and the University's NCAA obligations at its board meeting this week," he said.
