Tom Izzo suspended one game for secondary violations

Submitted by gebe659 on
I figured I might as well let you guys know. Enjoy... . Edit: update per MSUDanK on twitter (he's the RCMB media guy)" Violation stemmed from individual associated with a prospect (IAWP) who was paid for work at MSU basketball camp.

gebe659

December 17th, 2010 at 5:17 PM ^

What I'm hearing is the NCAA contacted MSU about the possible violation. The MSU AD and our compliance people got together with Izzo and decided to suspend him for one game. They called the NCAA up and asked them if that was punishment enough and would resolve the issue, the NCAA said yes.

GomezBlue

December 17th, 2010 at 7:17 PM ^

The only reason Izzy had to sit was because it's a new rule that requires any contact- intentional or not, to be dealt with.  Hitting Izzy with a game guarantee every D1 coach will take the rule book to bed with them tonight.  Something tells me, too, Izzy won't be the last because the rule is vague.

SpartanDan

December 17th, 2010 at 9:00 PM ^

Who qualifies as an "individual associated with a prospect"? (This is apparently where the issue occurred; Izzo didn't think whoever the camp worker in question qualified and the NCAA disagrees.) Does it have to be someone associated with a prospect you're actively recruiting?

If this is the interpretation that the NCAA is going to use, every summer basketball camp is pretty much permanently ended now; you can't hire AAU or high school coaches even for camp unless there's absolutely no chance they'll ever be coaching a player you might want to recruit.

Frankly, it's an absolute joke that Izzo is getting more of a punishment for this than Calipari has for getting entire seasons wiped off the record books at two different schools. This is as overblown as the excess stretching at Michigan (not getting the forms in in a manner that could be considered even remotely "timely" might have brought the hammer down harder on you, but the actual violation seemed a difference of interpretation only).

HAIL-YEA

December 17th, 2010 at 8:32 PM ^

will be a 5 page spread on it tomorrow in the Freep.  Probably all over the front page.

But seriously. Am I the only person who thinks it is kinda sleezy to be paying a guy who is associated with a potention recruit. I get that 475$ is nothing, but the potential recruit is just a jr high kid so he likely had his dad with him during the whole camp. If they paid his dad or uncle or something..you have to know that you're probably not allowed to do that.

SpartanDan

December 17th, 2010 at 9:07 PM ^

And the NCAA release on the topic said that the "individual associated with a prospect" was not in contact with the prospect while at the camp and was not accompanied by the prospect.

Given the extreme vagueness of the rule regarding who counts as an IAWP, I would be very surprised if it's a close relative or coach of the player in question. Those are too obvious, and the quotes coming out indicate a disagreement over interpretation of the rules.

HAIL-YEA

December 18th, 2010 at 1:04 AM ^

All that is really available is the rule that was broken. If in fact it was someone who was loosely assaciated with this kid but did not have contact with him during that week, then this is a stupid thing to get dinged on. It just seems unlikely that someone would be considered assaciated with the jr high kid, be working the camp he is attending and have zero contact with the kid.

But whatever I really dont know what happened, and I doubt the newspapers will dig into the story and let us know excactly what the situation is. 2 bad this didn't happen in AA because by now we would all know the kids name, the relationship to the person who was paid..where that person cashed the check..who the kid is taking to his winter dance..his favorite color...you get the point.

SpartanDan

December 17th, 2010 at 9:10 PM ^

Honestly, I think what got you guys hammered hardest over that is the fact that the tracking forms were about as far from "timely" as possible. That remains ridiculous, as does this incident (from the few details we have; if it comes out that it was a parent of a player that ends up at MSU and there was any sort of understanding that this was a prerequisite for their commitment, then I will have to revise that conclusion).

BlueintheLou

December 17th, 2010 at 5:11 PM ^

Relatively meaningless. Every coach in the country probably unknowingly commits some sort of recruiting violation throughout the course of the year. Whether it gets reported are the coach even knows he committed one is a different story. I bet JB, Man of the Ethics probably has accidentally committed one, too.

Tater

December 17th, 2010 at 5:19 PM ^

Everyone at MSU knows he was ready to jump ship if the deal had included LBJ.  They are not going to see him in the same light as before.  This will make it a lot harder for him to maintain control and get his kids to give the effort to which he is accustomed.  I still haven't seen anything out of his team so far to convince me that MSU won't be THE 5/12 upset victim in the NCAA's this year. 

DrewandBlue

December 17th, 2010 at 5:31 PM ^

This may be meaningless...however, there isn’t a program in the nation, especially of this caliber, that likes to have the NCAA sniffing around their backyard.  This very well may be foreshadowing a downward spiral (see Iowa).  Regardless of the severity level…It opens doors.  After all, imagine if we really knew how many programs in the nation violate the “practice hours rule”.  We all know the ramifications of allegations and open/transparent doors!  

Bluemandew

December 17th, 2010 at 5:35 PM ^

I almost wish this was more serouse so it would shut up the sparty inlaws. But it's not so I will have to continue to listen to there inane crap about stretching and ncaa coverups. But it is piddly so I will just continue drinking heavily at family partys.

hailtothevictors08

December 17th, 2010 at 5:51 PM ^

but this is nothing, ovby state was actually smart *gasp* and got out in front of this caus ei am SURE he will be missed for praire view a&m or whoever there cupcake is tmwr ... seriously i could easily coach state to victory tmwr (in no way am i comparing me to izzo)... if it was a big game tmwr, i doubt this would have happened