Oklahoma State will sit out the 2021-22 NCAA tournament after its appeal of a one-year ban over the actions of former assistant coach Lamont Evans failed.
Evans admitted to takingΒ $22,000 in bribesΒ as part of the same scheme in which former UA assistant coachΒ Book Richardson admittedΒ to taking $20,000 in bribes.
Both coaches admitted in federal proceedings to taking the bribes in exchange for promising to steer college players toward a professional agency, an arrangement that led to an FBI investigation that was first made public in September 2017.
The Cowboys tried to appeal the NCAA's June 2020 ruling, with OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg saying Evans was a "rogue employee carrying out actions that benefited him alone," but that argument was rejected.
The NCAA said its appeals committee agreed with an initial ruling that the school is still responsible because of the severity of the violation and upheld all the penalties, which also include a reduction of three scholarships and a fine of about $700,000 (10% of OSU's men's basketball budget).Β
"Specifically, the (initial) panel noted that a member school is responsible for its staff members, and when a staff member commits a violation while employed by the school, both the individual and the school are responsible for the violation," the NCAA said in a statement.
The penalties against Oklahoma State are likely the minimum of what Arizona can expect from its still-pending case.
Even though Oklahoma State's case was handled via the standard NCAA resolution track, and Arizona's is among those that were moved to the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, the IARP is still subject to the same penalty guidelines once it classifies and rules on a case.
The NCAA upheld classification of Oklahoma State's as Level I-standard for the school and Level I-aggravated for Evans. That's what Arizona likely is hoping to have happen with its case, since a Level I aggravated against the school could result in a 2-5 year postseason ban. Arizona already self-imposed a ban for the 2020-21 season, signaling it expected to at least be facing a Level I-standard penalty of a one-year ban.
However, Arizona's initial Notice of Allegations included five Level I charges and a list of aggravating factors. Attorney Stu Brown, who has represented schools facing NCAA infractions cases, said the NCAA has "clearly positioned the case as Level I-aggravated against the university."
While Oklahoma State had only the charge against Evans as part of its case, Arizona's includes Richardson's admission of bribes taken plus four other Level I charges:
-- Unethical conduct in recruiting by Richardson and former assistant Mark Phelps
-- Unethical conduct by Phelps for trying to cover up a loan to a then-UA player.
-- Head coach responsibility against former UA coach Sean Miller for failing to promote compliance.
-- An institutional charge against Arizona as an institution for Level I and Level II charges involving men's basketball and Level II charges against swimming.
