Oregon Coach Kelly Graves Suspended for Two Games

[Charliebball]

 

[ochoopsfan]

Oregon state has requested the 2 games of the suspension be the 2 games they play against each other in conference time.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Who takes over? Assistant coach Mark Campbell is an interesting character. He does not suffer from a lack of self confidence, that's for sure.

 

[JordyG]

Oregon state has requested the 2 games of the suspension be the 2 games they play against each other in conference time.

And that the schedule be changed and these games be played immediately.

This is one of the "What the....!?!" moments that happens in CBB a couple of times a year. I guess Graves is going to have a lotta 'splain' to do.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

This is unfortunate, but I have felt his ambitions through the TV.

 

[DefenseBB]

Whoa...this isn't just the Hierarchy at Oregon doing this, this is the NCAA.
Oregon athletic department put on probation

Also, the next two games for Oregon are Mich State and San Diego State, their 3rd game is against Miss.State...

 

[jonson]

The view of one Portland columnist:

Canzano: NCAA should have slapped University of Oregon with a nap. It's trying too hard to win.

 

[Bama fan]

This is unfortunate, but I have felt his ambitions through the TV.

That requires an incredible degree of sensitivity!

 

[CocoHusky]

This is unfortunate, but I have felt his ambitions through the TV.

Touche!
"Oregon's infractions amount to solid ambition -- stuck in a pile of mud called the NCAA rulebook. "

Canzano: NCAA should have slapped University of Oregon with a nap. It's trying too hard to win.

 

[DallasBUFan]

Just read the write up. I wonder how the two game suspension works? Who picks when they will be?

 

[nwhoopfan]

I was looking forward to reading the reaction to this on an OSU message board, but nothing so far on Benny's House. They are slacking off.

 

[SimpleDawg]

Seems like he'll be back right on time for Mississippi State.

 

[Ralph]

You really do have to laugh, but it is a sad situation. NC has fraud classes and the NCAA says ok because they were open to non athletes as well. As far as I recall, no punishment. Here the prof says this is how I treat all my students, no preferential treatment for an athlete, NCAA comes down like a ton of bricks. How can NCAA leaders not look in the mirror and be totally ashamed of themselves?

 

[Orangutan]

"According to the NCAA, Graves explained during the infractions hearing that the strength coach's impermissible activities "started with a lapse of judgment and then became more frequent." Graves admitted he knew it was improper for the assistant strength coach to participate, according to the NCAA."

He knew it was improper but he still let the coach participate so...he cheated

It's very small-scale, minor-impact cheating, but it's cheating.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

This is unfortunate, but I have felt his ambitions through the TV.

Whoa...this isn't just the Hierarchy at Oregon doing this, this is the NCAA.

The view of one Portland columnist:
Canzano: NCAA should have slapped University of Oregon with a nap. It's trying too hard to win.

"Oregon's infractions amount to solid ambition -- stuck in a pile of mud called the NCAA rulebook."

You really do have to laugh, but it is a sad situation. NC has fraud classes and the NCAA says ok because they were open to non athletes as well. As far as I recall, no punishment.

I am responding to the posts/links provided by @RockyMTblue2 , @DefenseBB , @jonson , @CocoHusky , and @Ralph in one post, to make my responsive post easier and more concise (notice I did not say "shorter").

From the original Tweet (Raoul) - Link to OregonLive.com
"In the women’s basketball program, the assistant strength and conditioning coach impermissibly participated in on-court activities both during and after practices, including stepping into drills at Graves’s request, which caused the program to exceed the number of allowable coaches."

The NCAA stated that Coach Kelly Graves "failed to monitor and promote an atmosphere of compliance in his program."

NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1 - Responsibility of Head Coach
An institution's head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of all institutional staff members who report, directly or indirectly, to the head coach. An institution's head coach shall promote an atmosphere of compliance within his or her program and shall monitor the activities of all institutional staff members involved with the program who report, directly or indirectly, to the coach.

Bylaw 11.1.1.1 establishes two affirmative duties for head coaches:

1. Promote an atmosphere or rules compliance; and
2. Monitor individuals in the program who report to the head coach.

The exact standard of "monitor[ing] and promot[ing]" is somewhat unclear itself. A head coach has to do both - "monitor" and "promote" an atmosphere of compliance.

But what does that mean? Is delegating a task to your assistant coach to perform enough, while explaining how to do said task? Or does the head coach need to meet with the assistant coach to confirm the task was completed and done so in compliance with NCAA bylaws and regulations, as well as any applicable federal, state, or local law?

And does the confirmation need to be in writing or otherwise documented that it took place? For example, if only WBB players practiced with WBB assistant coaches, would the head coach have to document every single practice to show that only individuals authorized to participate in an official practice did so?

By way of examples, here are other high-profile college basketball programs (or high-profile incidents) whose coaches were found to have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1, with respect to monitoring and promoting an atmosphere of compliance -- and how Bylaw 11.1.1.1 "played out," so to speak, in these cases.

Sept. 2017: Pacific Men's Basketball
What the NCAA found: Head coach Ron Verlin improperly aided in the academic work of five athletes, including assisting prospects with coursework in order to gain eligibility at UOP.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: The NCAA found Verlin did not promote an atmosphere of compliance and did not monitor his staffers. It said Verlin admitted that he “let a couple of assistant coaches get out of control … and didn’t stop it.”
Penalties: Verlin was suspended in December 2015 and then fired at the end of the 2015-16 season. The NCAA gave him an eight-year “show-cause” penalty, meaning a school hiring him would have to offer a reason why he should not be restricted during that period. Pacific was put on probation for two seasons, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and vacate wins that involved the players who cheated.

June 2017: Louisville Men's Basketball
What the NCAA found: Louisville operations director Andre McGee provided strippers and prostitutes to players in a campus dorm over several years.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: Head coach Rick Pitino was charged with a failure to monitor McGee, even though the NCAA accepted Pitino’s argument that he was unaware of McGee’s actions.
Penalties: Pitino was ordered to sit out Louisville’s first five ACC games of 2017-18 (although that was not applicable, as Pitino was removed - and later terminated - for cause, in wake of the FBI investigation. Louisville self-imposed an NCAA Tournament ban in 2015-16, and the NCAA added four years of probation and ordered the school to vacate wins from December 2010 through 2013-14 involving ineligible players. Louisville’s 2013 NCAA title was the first in NCAA history to be vacated

Sept. 2015: SMU
What the NCAA found: Academic fraud and unethical conduct, much of it focusing on improper help from an administrator in the coursework of Keith Frazier, a five-star recruit. It also found head coach Larry Brown was not initially truthful during his interview with NCAA enforcement staff, failing to disclose that Frazier and the administrator had both told him he had completed an online course that led to the fraudulent credit.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: Brown was found to have failed to provide an atmosphere of compliance, though the NCAA found Brown did not directly know about the situation.
Penalties: While SMU self-imposed a postseason ban in 2016, Brown was ordered to sit out nine of SMU’s games in 2015-16 and given a two-year show cause penalty. SMU was put on a three-year probation, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine plus 1 percent of the basketball budget and had nine scholarships removed over a three-year period. Larry Brown resigned in July 2016 in the midst of dispute over the length of his contract.

***NOTE: Larry Brown's actions as the head coach at UCLA, Kansas, and SMU all led to NCAA sanctions. It is worth noting (and especially for @triaddukefan ) that Brown graduated from the University of North Carolina and was an assistant coach there at one point. Coincidence? Hmm...

March 2015: Syracuse
What the NCAA found: Multiple violations involving improper benefits, academic misconduct and a failure to enforce drug-testing policy.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: Head coach Jim Boeheim was found to have not promoted an atmosphere of compliance or monitor the activities of his staffers (note that this was under what was then known as bylaw 11.1.2)
Penalties: Syracuse self-imposed a ban from the 2014-15 postseason, but the NCAA added to the punishment. It suspended Boeheim for nine games in 2015-16, took three scholarships away from Syracuse in each of four seasons, and ordered the school to vacate all wins involving ineligible players from 2004 to 2012 — a total of 108 wins.
The NCAA also ordered Syracuse to return all funds received via Big East revenue sharing for appearances in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournaments (estimated to be more than $1 million by the local Syracuse paper). The program also was put on probation for five years.

With Oregon WBB, Kelly Graves admitted what he did, including how it started and later continued. He also took full responsibility. NCAA Excerpts:

• "[Coach Kelly Graves] explained during the committee’s infractions hearing that the on-court activities started with a lapse of judgement and then became more frequent."
• "The committee noted [Coach Kelly Graves] admitted he knew it was impermissible for the assistant strength coach to participate."
• "The panel noted that [Coach Kelly Graves] took full responsibility for the assistant strength coach’s actions during the hearing."

NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1 was instituted in 2013 in large part to the actions of the University of North Carolina and the academic/athletic scandal (e.g., bogus classes designed to keep athletes academically eligible; UNC men's basketball coach Roy Williams denied any knowledge or responsibility).

In its “Responsibilities of Division I Head Coaches: Understanding Rules Compliance and Monitoring” enforcement guide/manual, the NCAA lists methods to assist head coaches with managing their monitoring responsibilities, including, inter alia:

Actively look for red flags of potential violations.
If a prospective student-athlete takes an unofficial visit to campus, ask how the prospect paid for the trip.

Also look into prospects or student-athletes who are at-risk academically and any involvement by coaching staff members in these situations.

In order to rebut the presumption of responsibility, a head coach must, under NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1, prove that he/she has fostered an atmosphere of compliance and has actively monitored the individuals who directly and indirectly report to the head coach.

But my issue with the Kelly Graves situation - who, again, admitted to his violation of the rule and took responsibility for his actions in doing so - is that he is being penalized with the same rule that rule that applied to other universities and failure to monitor issues of academic misconduct to keep players eligible, providing adult entertainment for recruits to entice them to attend the university, improper financial benefits, etc.

How can NCAA leaders not look in the mirror and be totally ashamed of themselves?

The UNC situation really caught the NCAA off guard.

Two decades of academic fraud to keep players eligible and three Notices of Allegations from the NCAA regarding UNC's conduct pertaining to proven academic fraud, the fact that non-students could take some of the courses precluded liability. Notwithstanding the extreme disproportionate nature of the athletes enrolled in these courses (as compared to the percentage of students who are athletes as compared to the entire student population), the near 100 percent enrollment in certain years of athletes from men's basketball, or admissions from former UNC employees and athletes about the improprieties of these classes, the NCAA claimed that nothing could be done, under the rules in place at the time of the discovery.

Apparently, the NCAA is doling out punishments for very minor infractions (compare UNC's conduct to that of Kelly Graves) or using the same NCAA Bylaw to justify punishing a practice player (Oregon) with adult entertainment, improper financial benefits, etc.

 

[BobbyJ]

I am responding to the posts/links provided by @RockyMTblue2 , @DefenseBB , @jonson , @CocoHusky , and @Ralph in one post, to make my responsive post easier and more concise (notice I did not say "shorter").

From the original Tweet (Raoul) - Link to OregonLive.com
"In the women’s basketball program, the assistant strength and conditioning coach impermissibly participated in on-court activities both during and after practices, including stepping into drills at Graves’s request, which caused the program to exceed the number of allowable coaches."

The NCAA stated that Coach Kelly Graves "failed to monitor and promote an atmosphere of compliance in his program."

NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1 - Responsibility of Head Coach
An institution's head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of all institutional staff members who report, directly or indirectly, to the head coach. An institution's head coach shall promote an atmosphere of compliance within his or her program and shall monitor the activities of all institutional staff members involved with the program who report, directly or indirectly, to the coach.

Bylaw 11.1.1.1 establishes two affirmative duties for head coaches:

1. Promote an atmosphere or rules compliance; and
2. Monitor individuals in the program who report to the head coach.

The exact standard of "monitor[ing] and promot[ing]" is somewhat unclear itself. A head coach has to do both - "monitor" and "promote" an atmosphere of compliance.

But what does that mean? Is delegating a task to your assistant coach to perform enough, while explaining how to do said task? Or does the head coach need to meet with the assistant coach to confirm the task was completed and done so in compliance with NCAA bylaws and regulations, as well as any applicable federal, state, or local law?

And does the confirmation need to be in writing or otherwise documented that it took place? For example, if only WBB players practiced with WBB assistant coaches, would the head coach have to document every single practice to show that only individuals authorized to participate in an official practice did so?

By way of examples, here are other high-profile college basketball programs (or high-profile incidents) whose coaches were found to have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1, with respect to monitoring and promoting an atmosphere of compliance -- and how Bylaw 11.1.1.1 "played out," so to speak, in these cases.

Sept. 2017: Pacific Men's Basketball
What the NCAA found: Head coach Ron Verlin improperly aided in the academic work of five athletes, including assisting prospects with coursework in order to gain eligibility at UOP.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: The NCAA found Verlin did not promote an atmosphere of compliance and did not monitor his staffers. It said Verlin admitted that he “let a couple of assistant coaches get out of control … and didn’t stop it.”
Penalties: Verlin was suspended in December 2015 and then fired at the end of the 2015-16 season. The NCAA gave him an eight-year “show-cause” penalty, meaning a school hiring him would have to offer a reason why he should not be restricted during that period. Pacific was put on probation for two seasons, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and vacate wins that involved the players who cheated.

June 2017: Louisville Men's Basketball
What the NCAA found: Louisville operations director Andre McGee provided strippers and prostitutes to players in a campus dorm over several years.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: Head coach Rick Pitino was charged with a failure to monitor McGee, even though the NCAA accepted Pitino’s argument that he was unaware of McGee’s actions.
Penalties: Pitino was ordered to sit out Louisville’s first five ACC games of 2017-18 (although that was not applicable, as Pitino was removed - and later terminated - for cause, in wake of the FBI investigation. Louisville self-imposed an NCAA Tournament ban in 2015-16, and the NCAA added four years of probation and ordered the school to vacate wins from December 2010 through 2013-14 involving ineligible players. Louisville’s 2013 NCAA title was the first in NCAA history to be vacated

Sept. 2015: SMU
What the NCAA found: Academic fraud and unethical conduct, much of it focusing on improper help from an administrator in the coursework of Keith Frazier, a five-star recruit. It also found head coach Larry Brown was not initially truthful during his interview with NCAA enforcement staff, failing to disclose that Frazier and the administrator had both told him he had completed an online course that led to the fraudulent credit.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: Brown was found to have failed to provide an atmosphere of compliance, though the NCAA found Brown did not directly know about the situation.
Penalties: While SMU self-imposed a postseason ban in 2016, Brown was ordered to sit out nine of SMU’s games in 2015-16 and given a two-year show cause penalty. SMU was put on a three-year probation, ordered to pay a $5,000 fine plus 1 percent of the basketball budget and had nine scholarships removed over a three-year period. Larry Brown resigned in July 2016 in the midst of dispute over the length of his contract.

***NOTE: Larry Brown's actions as the head coach at UCLA, Kansas, and SMU all led to NCAA sanctions. It is worth noting (and especially for @triaddukefan ) that Brown graduated from the University of North Carolina and was an assistant coach there at one point. Coincidence? Hmm...

March 2015: Syracuse
What the NCAA found: Multiple violations involving improper benefits, academic misconduct and a failure to enforce drug-testing policy.
Bylaw 11.1.1.1 implications: Head coach Jim Boeheim was found to have not promoted an atmosphere of compliance or monitor the activities of his staffers (note that this was under what was then known as bylaw 11.1.2)
Penalties: Syracuse self-imposed a ban from the 2014-15 postseason, but the NCAA added to the punishment. It suspended Boeheim for nine games in 2015-16, took three scholarships away from Syracuse in each of four seasons, and ordered the school to vacate all wins involving ineligible players from 2004 to 2012 — a total of 108 wins.
The NCAA also ordered Syracuse to return all funds received via Big East revenue sharing for appearances in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournaments (estimated to be more than $1 million by the local Syracuse paper). The program also was put on probation for five years.

With Oregon WBB, Kelly Graves admitted what he did, including how it started and later continued. He also took full responsibility. NCAA Excerpts:

• "[Coach Kelly Graves] explained during the committee’s infractions hearing that the on-court activities started with a lapse of judgement and then became more frequent."
• "The committee noted [Coach Kelly Graves] admitted he knew it was impermissible for the assistant strength coach to participate."
• "The panel noted that [Coach Kelly Graves] took full responsibility for the assistant strength coach’s actions during the hearing."

NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1 was instituted in 2013 in large part to the actions of the University of North Carolina and the academic/athletic scandal (e.g., bogus classes designed to keep athletes academically eligible; UNC men's basketball coach Roy Williams denied any knowledge or responsibility).

In its “Responsibilities of Division I Head Coaches: Understanding Rules Compliance and Monitoring” enforcement guide/manual, the NCAA lists methods to assist head coaches with managing their monitoring responsibilities, including, inter alia:



In order to rebut the presumption of responsibility, a head coach must, under NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1, prove that he/she has fostered an atmosphere of compliance and has actively monitored the individuals who directly and indirectly report to the head coach.

But my issue with the Kelly Graves situation - who, again, admitted to his violation of the rule and took responsibility for his actions in doing so - is that he is being penalized with the same rule that rule that applied to other universities and failure to monitor issues of academic misconduct to keep players eligible, providing adult entertainment for recruits to entice them to attend the university, improper financial benefits, etc.



The UNC situation really caught the NCAA off guard.

Two decades of academic fraud to keep players eligible and three Notices of Allegations from the NCAA regarding UNC's conduct pertaining to proven academic fraud, the fact that non-students could take some of the courses precluded liability. Notwithstanding the extreme disproportionate nature of the athletes enrolled in these courses (as compared to the percentage of students who are athletes as compared to the entire student population), the near 100 percent enrollment in certain years of athletes from men's basketball, or admissions from former UNC employees and athletes about the improprieties of these classes, the NCAA claimed that nothing could be done, under the rules in place at the time of the discovery.

Apparently, the NCAA is doling out punishments for very minor infractions (compare UNC's conduct to that of Kelly Graves) or using the same NCAA Bylaw to justify punishing a practice player (Oregon) with adult entertainment, improper financial benefits, etc.

Just curious. How fast can you type? This would've taken me all day. Good job though.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[DefenseBB]

Can we tell this knucklehead Thorburn that how come all the other 351 programs can follow the rules on this but they can't? Maybe they should get an undergrad to volunteer to do it.

 

[HuskyMJ]

Kelly Graves has been a college coach for a long time. He knows what is permissible and what is not. And when he said he knew something was not allowed but still was doing it anyways. Why do you need a strength coach doing basketball drills? They aren't basketball players or basketball coaches.

Then it said "The assistant strength coach also participated in voluntary student-athlete workouts, which Graves “assumed” was happening." Is this one of those things where you just look the other way and hope no one finds out? You assume a rule is being broken and do nothing about it?

Its the ethics of following the rules. You can debate the validty of the rules but NCAA member schools want the rules or they would not vote for them.

 

[LoTrader]

I was looking forward to reading the reaction to this on an OSU message board, but nothing so far on Benny's House. They are slacking off.

I don't think any OSU fans care. It's UO, we expect it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I don't think any OSU fans care. It's UO, we expect it.

Someone started a thread eventually.

 

[NWHoopFan2]

Admittedly and Oregon fan here and I can’t excuse our coach for knowingly allowing a rule to be broken. But, most if not all of you follow teams who have former basketball players serving in a ‘grad assistant’ or some other administrative role. Do you expect that they never put on the basketball gear fo

 

[NWHoopFan2]

...for a pick up game with members of the team. That is what this amounts to.