LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — An independent panel has placed the Louisville basketball program on two years of probation and fined it $5,000, but spared the school major penalties from NCAA allegations leveled in the aftermath of a federal investigation of corruption in college basketball.
The Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) also declined to penalize former Cardinals coach Rick Pitino, whom the NCAA initially cited for failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance. Chris Mack, Pitino's successor who was fired in January, also was not penalized for additional allegations announced last year by the NCAA.
Former Cardinals assistant coaches Jordan Fair and Kenny Johnson received two-year show-cause orders for Level I violations. The IARP concluded that Fair “was knowingly involved” in arranging a cash payment in exchange for a player enrolling at Louisville.
The IARP, created to examine complex cases, announced the decision Thursday. It also restricted Louisville's recruiting visits for this academic year and issued a public reprimand.
The IARP was created out of proposals from a commission led by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2018 to reform college basketball. The panel’s decision cannot be appealed.
The NCAA in May 2020 accused Louisville of committing a Level I violation for an improper recruiting offer and several Level II violations. Pitino was accused of failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance.
It followed a federal investigation of corruption in college basketball announced in September 2017. The school acknowledged it was the subject of allegations related to the recruitment of Brian Bowen II.
Louisville had previously been placed on NCAA probation because of a sex scandal. Thursday's decision by the IARP put the latest disciplinary matter to rest for a school that has endured several scandals since 2015.
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