On the identical day Memphis males’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway all of the sudden fired 4 employees members, the college confirmed the existence of an nameless letter alleging critical NCAA violations inside the Tigers’ program.
Letter alleges Memphis males’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway’s private involvement in potential recruiting, educational violations
In line with ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, the letter alleges Hardaway’s private involvement in potential recruiting and educational violations. Sports activities Illustrated first reported on the letter’s existence.
“The College of Memphis is conscious of the nameless letter, and it has been shared with the NCAA,” college spokesperson Michele Ehrhart stated in an announcement to ESPN.
4 student-athletes have been named within the letter: Ashton Hardaway, Jordan Brown, Jahvon Quinerly, and Malcolm Dandridge. All 4 allegedly concerned within the educational scandal got funds through money app and different strategies.
Two months earlier than the beginning of the school basketball season, Hardaway introduced Wednesday morning that he was firing assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, and Jamie Rosser, together with particular adviser Demetrius Dyson. Neither Hardaway nor the varsity offered a purpose for the firings.
Previous to Wednesday’s firings, 5 employees members had already left this system this offseason.
Among the many departures was Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch, who left for a similar job at Missouri in April. Memphis then employed Ed Scott from Virginia because the Tigers’ new athletic director in June.
Tigers’ season opener is Nov. 4 towards Missouri
Penny Hardaway, 53, stated in an announcement that he “made the tough resolution to go in a brand new course with our employees.” The Tigers’ season opener is Nov. 4 towards Missouri.
“The timing just isn’t excellent, however I need to give this group the very best alternative to succeed in our objectives of profitable the American Convention and advancing within the NCAA Match,” Hardaway stated in an announcement. “With the season quickly approaching, we’re going to transfer rapidly to finish the employees.”
It’s unclear whether or not the nameless letter is said to the firings. A couple of of the alleged violations predate the Memphis tenure of a minimum of two of the fired assistants. Not one of the fired coaches have been named within the letter.
“The NCAA typically doesn’t touch upon present, pending, or potential investigations,” the NCAA stated in an announcement.
Hardaway was suspended three video games by the NCAA final season for recruiting violations, violating teaching accountability guidelines
The nameless letter is the newest off-court problem for Hardaway since being employed at his alma mater in March 2018. There was an NCAA investigation as a consequence of alleged violations involving middle James Wiseman and different recruits.
The Unbiased Accountability Decision Course of (IARP) concluded that Hardaway didn’t violate NCAA guidelines as a consequence of his long-standing philanthropy in Memphis.
Though Hardaway was cleared of any wrongdoing, the college was not.
Memphis confronted three years of probation, a $5,000 high quality, and a 25 p.c discount of the boys’s basketball price range after the IARP discovered the varsity responsible of committing 4 Degree II violations and 5 Degree III violations.
Hardaway was additionally suspended three video games by the NCAA final season for recruiting violations and violating head-coaching accountability guidelines in a separate investigation.
Towards the top of final season, senior Malcolm Dandridge missed the group’s ultimate 5 video games. Dandridge was pressured to sit down out as the varsity performed an investigation into his eligibility.
Hardaway is 133-62 (.682) in six seasons with two NCAA Match berths: Spherical of 32 in 2022 and Spherical of 64 in 2023. He coached Memphis to an NIT Championship in 2021 as nicely.
Nonetheless, the Tigers missed the NCAA Match final season regardless of going 22-10 (.688).
