Indiana, Sampson Accused of Major Violations

ESPN is reporting that the NCAA has accused Indiana of five major violations, centering around impermissible phone calls made by Kelvin Sampson while he was already under sanctions as a result of previous violations. Potential penalties include postseason ineligibility, and one would think that Sampson's job would be in jeopardy. The primary wrath of the NCAA appears to focus on the fact that Sampson knowingly and repeatedly violated the NCAA recruiting rules on phone calls in spite of having been previously caught in the same offense. His calls exceeded the normal restriction, well beyond the number allowed under his sanction resulting from violations while at Oklahoma.


The Hoosiers have been highly ranked all year, in spite of a soft schedule. Freshman Eric Gordon may find these violations to be a good excuse to leave for the NBA after only one year, and DJ White will graduate after this season. With the potential for serious penalties hanging over the program, this will likely affect the next two recruiting classes. A serious embarrassment for one of the traditional basketball powers, the Indiana administration has no one but themselves to blame for hiring a coach who was already known to have violated NCAA rules. If the NCAA can prove that Sampson knowingly and intentionally violated the same rule repeatedly, their penalty will be harsh. Rumors about this have been swirling, but the official statement by the NCAA detailing the five supposed major violations takes this to a whole new level.

PDF of the NCAA letter
"Sampson failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standard of honesty..."