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Pitt on Probation, Narduzzi to Miss Practices, Stallings Gets Show-Cause for NCAA Violations

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Pitt will undergo three years of probation in football and men’s basketball, former basketball coach Kevin Stallings will have a three-year NCAA show cause order and both the football and men’s basketball teams will suffer losses in coaching and recruiting days as part of a settlement regarding violations committed by the programs, the NCAA announced on Thursday.

Both Stallings and head football coach Pat Narduzzi used non-coaching staff members in coaching roles at practices according to the settlement between Pitt and the NCAA. Additionally, the basketball team committed a recruiting infraction.

During probation, which begins on Feb. 20, 2020, the university will have to implement a plan of education and correction and will regularly self-report with the NCAA. Further violations while on probation will involve increased penalties, which could include postseason bans and reductions in scholarships.

Stallings, along with former director of basketball operations Dan Cage, will have significant difficulties in getting another NCAA job while under the show-cause order. The basketball team has already served and will continue to serve penalties regarding the reduction of coaching hours and recruiting days.

Pat Narduzzi has already missed one week of off-campus recruiting and will miss two days of team practice during training camp in 2020 for his role in the violations.

The NCAA settlement says that both the football and men’s basketball programs developed a system to alert staff members when outsiders were able to watch practice in order to prevent the non-coaching staff members from being witnessed performing coaching roles.

Three non-coaching members of the coaching staff are alleged to have participated in coaching men’s basketball practices from June 2016 through March 2018 under Stallings. That includes Cage, before he was promoted to assistant coach, and former special assistant to the head coach Matt Woodley.

Stallings also deleted practice videos in an attempt from being caught and did not end the violations after being warned by Pitt athletics department administrators. The school recovered the videos using a computer forensics expert and also discovered impermissibly created individualized recruiting videos for 12 prospects to watch during their visits to campus.

Cage committed a further violation by refusing to take part in the investigation, which consisted of 11 interviews that took place in March and April of 2018. Pitt instituted a self-report in September 2018 and then undertook an additional investigation, which included interviewing Stallings.

The football team became involved in the investigation after interviews with the former members of the basketball staff alleged similar activity taking place at football practices. The football team then self-reported allowing an unnamed quality control coach to take part in coaching activities toward the end of the 2017 season. Neither of the 2017 quality control coaches — Tim Cooper and James Patton — are still on the Pitt staff.

The NCAA and Pitt then interviewed all quality control staff members employed during Narduzzi’s tenure and discovered additional violations by having quality control staff members hold play cards for scout teams and throw footballs during drills.

The football team disguised the violations by playing music at practice when outside parties, including Pitt administrators, were viewing practice.

Narduzzi did not participate in one week of off-campus recruiting in the 2020 recruiting cycle and will have to miss two days of practice during August 2020. The team also had a reduction of countable coaching hours during the 2019 season.

The men’s basketball team had its recruiting days reduced by 17 days in the 2017-18 recruiting cycle and has been dealing with a loss of 16 countable coaching hours during the 2019-20 season. There will be a further loss of countable coaching hours during the 2020 offseason.

Pitt agreed to a negotiated settlement with the NCAA and thus will not appeal the violations. The full violation document can be found here.

A previous version of this article incorrectly state the beginning date of the probation period.

Sandy Schall, Coldwell Banker
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Pretzel Rod Rutherford
Pretzel Rod Rutherford
4 years ago

Hey Pat A, still think Pitt let go of Stallings too soon?

Pat Adonizio
Pat Adonizio
4 years ago

I do, but hey, crow tastes good sauted in garlic and olive oil!

Kevin
Kevin
4 years ago

THIS IS A JOKE!!! Other universities pay, hire escorts, and much more yet nothing is done!!!
Take a 5 min look at most top 10 programs and follow the players around for a day and see their lifestyle change from HS!
The NCAA IS THE BIGGEST FAKE, MONEY HUNGRY INSTITUTION ON THE PLANET!!! That says a lot with the Clinton Foundation still in existence.

Let's Believe
Let's Believe
4 years ago

How many coaches does it take to go 7-5? Damn, I’d hate to see how many it takes to go 10-2.

Tom D
Tom D
4 years ago
Reply to  Let's Believe

Exactly

Section 222
Section 222
4 years ago
Reply to  Let's Believe

Probably 10 more than we had.

Funny how every year some ex-head coach gets pulled off the trash pile to join Saban’s staff as a quality control coach and he’s never investigated for what’s going on down there.

 
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