NC State basketball won’t self-impose postseason ban amid violations case, AD says
N.C. State is still in the wait-and-see phase when it comes to its violations case centering on former guard Dennis Smith Jr. and former basketball coaches Mark Gottfried and Orlando Early.
The school, charged with two Level 1 violations by the NCAA, is a little more than halfway through the 90-day period the Independent Accountability Resolution Process takes to review cases such as N.C. State’s.
Boo Corrigan, N.C. State athletic director, told The News & Observer on Tuesday that even though the wait for a ruling has been difficult, the school won’t jump ahead of the IARP’s ruling and self-impose a postseason ban on basketball.
The Wolfpack was one of several programs to come under fire from the NCAA after the FBI’s investigation into fraud and corruption in college basketball. Auburn, also involved in the scandal, recently announced a one-year self-imposed ban from postseason play. N.C. State won’t go that far.
“That’s not something we have discussed,” Corrigan told the N&O.
Dennis Smith, Orlando Early and $40,000
Created in August 2019, the IARP sets up a panel of independent investigators to review complex NCAA Division I infractions cases. It came about after recommendations from the Commission on College Basketball, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
N.C. State was one of several high-profile college basketball programs tied to the FBI’s years-long investigation into pay-to-play schemes involving Adidas, college coaches and recruits, which led to the creation of the Rice Commission.
The 15-member Independent Review Panel is charged with analyzing the allegations and a school’s response to the allegations, then deciding on penalties. Decisions by the panel are final and not subject to appeal.
The investigation into N.C. State involves former Adidas consultant Thomas Gassnola working with Early, an assistant under Gottfried from 2011 to ‘17, and Smith’s trainer Shawn Farmer, to funnel $40,000 to Smith’s family in exchange for Smith’s commitment in October 2015.
“I gave Orlando Early $40,000 to give to the family of Dennis Smith,” Gassnola testified in federal court in October 2018.
Smith, who played one season at N.C. State before leaving for the NBA draft, now plays for the New York Knicks. Gottfried was fired by the school in February 2017 and is now the head coach at Cal State Northridge.
NC State’s Notice of Allegations from the NCAA
N.C. State was given an official Notice of Allegations by the NCAA in July 2019. The basketball program was charged with two Level I violations involving Smith, Gottfried and Early. N.C. State responded to the notice in December 2019.
After the NCAA responded to N.C. State in February, it was believed the case could go before the NCAA Committee on Infractions this year. But the coronavirus pandemic temporarily suspended most NCAA activities.
N.C. State was notified on April 3 that the case had been recommended to the IARP. The university accepted the recommendation on April 8.
Corrigan told the N&O on Tuesday that not much has changed on the school’s end. The case is still in the IARP period which takes 90 days to review. Corrigan said State’s case is on day 50.
The 90-day period gives the committee time to collect additional information needed.
Even when that period is up, the case might not be immediately resolved.
“They can come back and say, we are looking at what the NCAA alleges,” Corrigan said. “Or we are going to take this part of it off the table, or we’re going to add this part to it, or we’re going to walk away completely. It’s all new. It is a continuing process.”
The waiting has been the hardest part for Corrigan and his staff.
“The length of time that it takes is something that causes great patience,” Corrigan said.
Memphis was the first NCAA school referred to the IARP, but the NCAA did not announce the allegations that were being reviewed.
