NCAA infractions committee says LSU football program violated recruiting rules; hands down punishments

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions said on Thursday, Sept. 22, that there were recruiting violations in the LSU football program and handed down punishments for those violations.

The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions said there were recruiting violations in the LSU football program and handed down punishments.

Information released by NCAA:

The LSU football program violated recruiting rules when former assistant coach James Cregg and former assistant director of recruiting met separately with a prospect during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period and provided the prospect with impermissible recruiting inducements, according to a decision released by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.

The panel classified the case as Level II-mitigated for the university, Level II-aggravated for the former assistant coach, and Level II-standard for the former assistant director of recruiting. The committee used the Division I membership-approved infractions penalty guidelines to prescribe the following measures:

One year of probation.
A $5,000 fine (self-imposed).
A limit of official visits for football to 55 during the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
A one-week prohibition against unofficial visits in the football program prior to the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
A one-week prohibition against recruiting communications in the football program prior to the start of the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
A reduction of seven evaluation days in the football program during the fall 2021 evaluation period (self-imposed).
A three-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach. During that period, any NCAA member school employing him must restrict him from any off-campus recruiting activities unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply.

“Although the [committee] has encountered more egregious conduct in past cases, the violations in this case represent intentional misconduct that should be of concern to the membership,” the panel said in its decision. “The COVID-19 recruiting dead period was intended to protect the health and safety of prospects, student-athletes and institutional staff. It also leveled the playing field for recruiting at a time when government-imposed COVID-19 restrictions varied across the country.”

Dave Roberts, chief hearing officer for the panel and special advisor, will be in attendance.

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LSU issued a statement about the NCAA’s decision on Thursday:

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