NCAA gives Indiana probation over Sampson calls

[November 26, 2008]  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Fearing a postseason ban, Indiana University accepted an NCAA-ordered three years' probation with relief Tuesday, eager to continue rebuilding its once-storied men's basketball program.

After months of uncertainty over an embarrassing telephone recruiting scandal, the NCAA spared the school any additional punishment such as a postseason ban or additional scholarship losses.

But former coach Kelvin Sampson, the man at the center of the scandal, faces recruiting restrictions through November 2013 if hired by another school.

"I really believe this allows us to put the whole, ugly episode behind us and move forward," said incoming athletic director Fred Glass. "I'm obviously disappointed with the failure to monitor finding, but I'm very glad the committee didn't impose any other penalties."

The announcement ended a 20-month saga that began with Sampson's hiring in March 2006.

Infractions committee chairwoman Jo Potuto acknowledged Indiana was spared additional punishment because of its cooperation with the investigation, its own decision to take away a scholarship and extend recruiting restrictions and the school's long tradition of abiding by the rules.

"It's bittersweet," said current Indiana coach Tom Crean, with the team in Hawaii. "We didn't want to lose postseason, scholarships or television. Thank God we didn't lose any of those so we can continue to move the program without the what-ifs."

It's the first time since 1960 that the school has been found guilty of a major infraction in any sport.

The probation comes in addition to sanctions IU already has imposed.

Only two players from last season's team remain. The others were kicked off, transferred, graduated or left early for the NBA. The team has just nine scholarship players instead of the 13 allowed after giving up scholarships because of the NCAA investigation and poor academic scores.

The NCAA faulted the university for inadequate monitoring when Sampson was hired but acknowledged the former coach's conduct was "unprecedented."

The committee ruled he ignored signed compliance agreements with Indiana and ignored telephone restrictions imposed by the NCAA. Potuto also said Sampson deliberately lied to committee members and cited one such instance.

"With regard to the three-way phone calls, the former head coach said he did not knowingly participate in any three-way phone calls," Potuto told reporters. "The former assistant said he introduced the recruit on the call and the report quotes a number of prospects and parents who said they were introduced to him (Sampson) on the phone."

Sampson, now an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks, issued a statement Tuesday saying he was "deeply disappointed" by the NCAA findings.

"The accusations at hand are things that happened on my watch and therefore I will take responsibility. I am truly sorry that there were so many people who were hurt in this situation. For the sake of everyone involved, including my family, it is time to move on," he said.

The NCAA imposed recruiting restrictions on Sampson through November 2013 and a recruiting ban for the first three years. His allowable phone calls would then be reduced to half of the NCAA limit for the remaining two years.

Former assistant Rob Senderoff, now an assistant at Kent State, also faces three years of NCAA sanctions. Senderoff was not available for comment, but athletic director Laing Kennedy said Kent State would abide by the restrictions on Senderoff regarding recruiting calls.

"We are committed to keeping Rob as an integral part of our staff. His impact and long-term value to our program -- both on the court and heading up our academic efforts -- both far outweigh these penalties," Kennedy said.

The NCAA acknowledged Indiana intended to closely monitor Sampson and his assistants but said the university fell short, largely because it did not have a good system in place when Sampson was hired and had to develop one "on the fly." Compliance officials did not follow up on phone record requests in a timely manner and focused too much on collaborating with the men's basketball program and not enough on adhering to requirements, it said.

"I was gratified they accepted the penalties and added nothing new to it, and that's good," said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, who's in Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Invitational. "They recognized that the program had been devastated by the penalties and the departure of virtually of the whole team. While it's the end of a dark chapter, hopefully it is the beginning of a new chapter."

Under terms of its probation, IU will be required to implement a comprehensive educational program on NCAA recruiting and eligibility rules for all coaches and their staffs and report annually to the NCAA on progress and participation.

IU President Michael McRobbie said the athletics department already has begun that work.

"This was a one-time deviation from a half-century record of having no major NCAA infractions," McRobbie said in a statement. "The coaches who were directly involved in this are no longer employed by Indiana University. And, we are very determined never to allow anything like this to happen again."

McRobbie and Crean said the focus now is on restoring a program that has undergone a complete overhaul.

The university bought out Sampson's contract for $750,000 in February. None of Sampson's assistants was retained, and athletic director Rick Greenspan announced his resignation the same day the failure to monitor charge was filed. He will leave at the end of December.

"This is what gutting a program looks like, and you have to keep moving forward," said Crean, who left Marquette to take over the program in April. "That's what we'll do, and we get to do it in the long term."

[Associated Press; By MICHAEL MAROT]

AP Basketball Writer Jim O'Connell contributed to this report from Lahaina, Hawaii.

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