BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
NCAA hits former UConn coach Kevin Ollie with three-year show-cause penalty; Huskies avoid major sanctions
The NCAA gave Ollie a tough punishment after it claims he lied and misled investigators
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The NCAA Committee on Infractions ruled Tuesday to effectively ban former UConn coach Kevin Ollie from college athletics for three years -- but did not levy significantly damaging sanctions on the men's basketball program.
The COI announced that Ollie "violated NCAA head coach responsibility rules when he failed to monitor his staff and did not promote an atmosphere of compliance." Some of the violations in question were Level III in nature (Level I being the most egregious). A show-cause penalty for lower-level offenses is unusual; Ollie's three-year show-cause ruling was prompted, in large part, due to him supposedly deceiving NCAA investigators and additionally opting out of being interviewed a second time by enforcement staffers.
It was Ollie's behavior and obfuscation with the COI that led to a Level I tag against him, which brought on the worst of his punishments. On a media call Tuesday, COI chief hearing officer Joel Maturi said the committee had the option of 3-10 years for Ollie's show-cause order.
"This case illustrates the importance of full candor and cooperation in the infractions process, as well as head coach control," the NCAA's statement reads. "The former head coach faltered in both respects, increasing the severity of his violations and allowing violations within the program to occur for most of his tenure."
Ollie was accused of overseeing a program that enabled and/or allowed official pickup games that exceeded NCAA quotas; effectively employed a video coordinator in a coaching role; and had "a booster providing extra benefits to student-athletes."
