After a summer of speculation and recent reports that it was coming, Kansas announced on Monday that it has been served a notice of allegations by the NCAA.
While the NOA included a pair of allegations against the Jayhawks' football program, the meat and potatoes of the charges were levied against Bill Self’s basketball program and included lack of institutional control as well as a head coach responsibility charge against Self.
Kansas will now have 90 days to respond to the allegations. Not only has the school made it clear that it stands behind Self and the program, it appears to be preparing to fight the NCAA's allegations of a lack of institutional control.
2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
MORE KANSAS: Yahoo Sports on the NOA | KU's comments on the allegations | JayhawkSlant.com
Self didn’t exactly hold back either.
"In its haste and attempt to regain control, the enforcement staff has created a false narrative regarding me and our basketball program. The narrative is based on innuendo, half-truths, misimpressions and mischaracterizations. In reality, we all know there is only one version of the truth. The truth is based on verifiable facts, and I am confident the facts we will demonstrate in our case will expose the inaccuracies of the enforcement staff's narrative."
Of course, that is to be expected and anybody who has been following college basketball is well versed in Kansas’ alleged involvement, particularly with former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola, in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball.
But, many have wondered if the NCAA would actually try seek any real punishment against schools linked the investigation. Especially a blueblood such as Kansas.
Well, the time has come and it is clear that the NCAA is out to prove a point and it is being aggressive in its pursuit of Kansas and Self.
It’s going to be some time before this all plays out, perhaps not even until well after the 2019-20 season. But the reality is that being brought up in the trial has already been a thorn in the side of Kansas recruiting and it stands to reason that the news of an actual investigation will only make recruiting, which had already become tougher during the FBI investigation, even more difficult for the Jayhawks.
Currently, Kansas is without a commitment from the class of 2020 and will have at least four open scholarships based on expected graduations and last week’s transfer of freshman guard Isaac McBride. Potential departures to the NBA could mean even more scholarships to fill.
Among the top targets on Kansas’ current board are five-star guards Caleb Love and Bryce Thompson, five-star forward Isaiah Todd and four-stars Moses Moody, Kerwin Walton, J.T. Thor, KK Robinson, Gethro Muscadin and others.
High-level talent like that is going to be, and already is, being chased by several other big-name programs. Clouds hanging over the program like those that the NOA will now bring will lead to questions about the program’s future from prospects. Those recruiting against KU are surely going to use the investigation against it.
The other difficult issue for Kansas is how long investigations like this can take to reach a conclusion. It is very possible that any decisions about innocence or guilt or possible penalties could take at least a year, or even longer. If that happens, does it spill into recruiting for 2021 and beyond?
How this all plays out? We’ll have to wait and see but Kansas is now in a serious fight with the NCAA. Whether the program proves innocence or gets hit with penalties, the recruiting efforts have been and will continue to be impacted.
