Arizona State gets probation for NCAA violations
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Kyle Bonagura, ESPN Staff Writer
The NCAA announced penalties for Arizona State and four former employees related to recruiting violations that occurred under former football coach Herm Edwards.
Arizona State received four years of probation, an undisclosed fine, vacated games in which ineligible players competed, reduced scholarships and recruiting restrictions. The NCAA did not provide further details about any of those punishments. The school also disassociated from a booster for five years.
The NCAA acknowledged the school had self-imposed a one-year bowl ban last season. The Sun Devils will be eligible for a bowl in 2024.
“Arizona State’s cooperation throughout the investigation and processing of this case was exemplary, and the cooperation began with the leadership shown by the university president,” said Jason Leonard, executive director of athletics compliance at Oklahoma and chief hearing officer for the NCAA committee on infractions panel. “The school’s acceptance of responsibility and decision to self-impose meaningful core penalties is a model for all schools to follow and is consistent with the expectations of the NCAA’s infractions program.”
Edwards, who now works for ESPN, was fired after the Sun Devils went 1-2 to start the 2022 season. He was found to have committed a “responsibility violation,” according to the NCAA.
The allegations first came to light three years ago, when a package of documents sent to the NCAA detailed several recruiting violations, including ignoring restrictions in place during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period. During this time, a mother of a player purchased travel accommodations for recruits to visit campus, staff members provided guided tours to roughly a dozen recruits when campus was closed to visitors, and a coach worked out a player in a park.
The NCAA found ASU offered “recruiting inducements, impermissible tryouts and [committed] tampering.”
No individuals were named by the NCAA, nor were their specific punishments provided.
“The individuals also agreed to or did not contest show-cause orders ranging from three to 10 years consistent with the Level I-aggravated classifications of their respective violations,” the NCAA said.
The purported ringleader of the rule-breaking culture, former ASU defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, left the program after the 2021 season and is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
“The COVID dead period rules were created not only for the sake of competitive equity but for the safety and well-being of prospective and enrolled student-athletes and their families,” ASU president Michael Crow said. “ASU is disappointed and embarrassed by the actions of certain former football staff members who took advantage of a global pandemic to hide their behavior.”
The punishment issued Friday by the NCAA does not mark the end of the line for the violations.
“Two individuals are contesting portions of their respective cases via written record hearing,” the NCAA said. “After the written record hearing, the committee will release its full decision.”
The NCAA and ASU said they will not comment further.
ST. LOUIS — Cardinals first baseman Willson Contreras was not in the lineup Wednesday against the Colorado Rockies a day after he was hit in the foot by a pitch and broke his bat in frustration.
Contreras, listed as day-to-day with a right foot contusion, was hit by Rockies starter Kyle Freeland‘s sweeper in the fourth inning. He then slammed his bat into the dirt and snapped it over his knee.
As he walked toward first base, the 33-year-old threw the two pieces of the broken bat toward the Cardinals’ dugout.
He remained in the game until the sixth inning, when he was replaced by Nolan Gorman.
The Cardinals said X-rays did not reveal any structural damage in Contreras’ foot.
Contreras has been hit by a National League-leading 18 pitches this season, trailing only Randy Arozarena and Ty France.
Contreras leads the Cardinals with 16 home runs and 65 RBIs.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers put struggling slugger Adolis García on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left ankle and activated outfielder Evan Carter.
Texas, which is chasing an American League wild-card berth, made the moves their series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday.
Another outfielder, Wyatt Langford, was held out of the lineup because of forearm stiffness, but manager Bruce Bochy said he could be available to pinch-hit.
García is hitting .224 with 16 homers and 64 RBIs in 116 games. He hit .176 (6 for 34) during the nine-game homestand that ended with Wednesday’s game.
Carter, who turns 23 later this month, missed 10 games because of back spasms. He was in a 4-for-34 slump when he was placed on the IL on Aug. 2. He hit .238 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 55 games before then.
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