N.C. State Receives NCAA Notice of Allegations

[Auburn Kev 1,653]

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Mark Gottfried named in NCAA notice of allegations to N.C. State

Posted Jul 10, 5:42 PM

 

By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.com

 

 

Former Alabama player and coach Mark Gottfried is mentioned prominently in an NCAA notice of allegations received this week by North Carolina State, the school acknowledged Wednesday.

The school is charged with four violations, two of them Level I, the most severe. All involve the recruitment of former blue-chip recruit Dennis Smith Jr., who played for the Wolfpack in 2016-17 and is now with the NBA’s New York Knicks.

Gottfried — now at Cal State-Northridge — and former top assistant Orlando Early (who was also on his Alabama staff), are alleged to have provided more than $47,000 in impermissible benefits to Smith or his handlers, money that allegedly came from former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola. Gottfried is charged with violation of head coach responsibility bylaws, while the N.C. State athletic department is charged with “failure to monitor” the basketball program.

N.C. State is the first school to be charged for violations that came to light as part of an FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. Yahoo Sports reported last month that at least six schools are expected to be formally charged by the NCAA.

N.C. State acknowledged receiving the notice of allegations, which included the following statement from chancellor Randy Woodson:

“NC State is committed to the highest levels of compliance, honesty and integrity. As the university carefully reviews the NCAA’s allegations and thoroughly evaluates the evidence in order to determine our response, we are prepared to be accountable where we believe it is appropriate and to vigorously defend this great university and its Athletics program where we feel it is necessary.”

 

Gottfried played his high school basketball at UMS-Wright in Mobile and at Alabama under Wimp Sanderson from 1984-87, where he was a part of three NCAA tournament Sweet 16 teams. He returned to Alabama as head coach in 1998, with his teams winning 210 games and playing in the NCAA tournament five straight seasons from 2002-06.

Gottfried resigned under pressure at Alabama midway through the 2008-09 season, his 11th with the Crimson Tide. He resurfaced two years later at N.C. State, where he reached the Sweet 16 twice in his first four years before being fired in 2017 after back-to-back losing seasons.

Cal State-Northridge went 13-21 in its first season under Gottfried, who has thus far denied any wrongdoing in the N.C. State case.

 

[Auburn Kev 1,653]

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Former coaches' actions bring possible NCAA sanctions to NC State

Posted 6:00 p.m. today
Updated 7:35 p.m. today

Raleigh, N.C. — The NCAA on Tuesday officially put North Carolina State University on notice about alleged recruiting violations committed within the men's basketball program during the tenure of Mark Gottfried. It also suggested that both Gottfried and his then-assistant Orlando Early could be punished with a "show-cause" penalty, which could impact their current and future employability.

Gottfried, who left NC State in 2017 after five seasons with a 123-86 record, was hired at Cal State Northridge in 2018.

The university made the Notice of Allegations public Wednesday afternoon. “NC State is committed to the highest levels of compliance, honesty and integrity,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson.

Gottfried and then-assistant coach Orlando Early figured prominently in a criminal case against former Adidas executive James Gatto, business manager Christian Dawkins and Merl Code, a former Adidas consultant. The three men were convicted in October of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for funneling illegal payments to families of six student-athletes, including Dennis Smith Jr., who played a single season at NC State (2016-17) before being selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks.

Smith, a Fayetteville native, came to NC State as one of the most highly touted players in his high school class. Court papers say Gatto helped facilitate payments to Smith's family in the fall of 2015 to make sure the top prospect remained committed to play for the Wolfpack. It also alleges that a coach at NC State helped get money from Gatto's company to Smith's family.

An attorney for Early told ESPN that his client said he got envelopes from Gottfried on two occasions containing what he believed to be cash, to be delivered to Smith Jr's trainer. The envelopes were then supposed to be delivered to Smith's father.

In laying out four allegations against NC State, the NCAA wrote, "Orlando Early ... violated the NCAA principles of ethical conduct when he and members of the men's basketball staff committed multiple recruiting violations and provided extra benefits during the recruitment and subsequent enrollment of then men's basketball prospective student-athlete Dennis Smith Jr. (Smith)."

In a statement, NC State noted that the allegations were "the expected next step" in a process that began last summer with a federal government inquiry into corruption in high-level college basketball.

"All four allegations are tied to former coaches who were well educated about the rules and knew the rules, and if the allegations are true, those coaches chose to break the rules. No current coaches are named or implicated in the allegations," the NC State statement said.

The university has tried to distance itself from Gottfried and Early, even, according to Gottfried's lawyer, discontinuing payments to Gottfried under the terms of his spring 2017 dismissal.

“As the university carefully reviews the NCAA’s allegations and thoroughly evaluates the evidence in order to determine our response, we are prepared to be accountable where we believe it is appropriate and to vigorously defend this great university and its athletics program where we feel it is necessary," Woodson said.

NC State has 90 days to respond in writing to the allegations. After that would come an NCAA hearing.

The allegations are:

1. That Early provided impermissible benefits to Smith, including a $40,000 payment to ensure his commitment and additional free admissions to basketball games for Smith's family and friends;

2. That members of the men's basketball staff provided tickets to games to people connected with potential recruits;

3. That Gottfried did not appropriately monitor Early or his staff;

4. That the institution "failed to adequately monitor its men's basketball program's provision of complimentary admissions."

The allegations against Gottfried and Early were, according to the Notice of Allegations, "a severe breach of conduct (Level I).

 

[casatiger 513]

I fear the NCAA is going to look the other way on the blue bloods and pound rhe NC States of the world.   

[AU64 10,122]

22 hours ago, casatiger said:

I fear the NCAA is going to look the other way on the blue bloods and pound rhe NC States of the world.   

Yep....UNC cheated big time for years and someone has to pay....so why not NCSU...they are part of the big university system so …what the heck?....it's the same thing isn't it....  and a good way to teach the 'heels a lesson. 

[AUGoo 2,663]

AWWW.....

C'mon!!

The Heels looked into it.  Nothing there.

[Auburn Kev 1,653]

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NC State disputes Dennis Smith Jr. was paid to play for the Wolfpack in response to NCAA allegations

NC State is challenging the evidence the NCAA presented in its earlier notice of allegations

by Kyle Boone

NC State submitted its formal response on Monday to the NCAA's lengthy notice of allegations it levied against the basketball program in July. The NOA included four violations connected to former Wolfpack star Dennis Smith Jr., which NC State officials are now disputing.

In its response, NC State openly questioned whether there is sufficient evidence in the case related to Smith Jr., who the NCAA alleges was paid to play at the school. At last year's federal trials, former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified that he delivered $40,000 to former assistant coach Orlando Early, which was to be given to Smith's father as a sweetener to get him to play for former coach Mark Gottfried. NC State, however, claims Smith Jr. was uninvolved in that process and thus should be exonerated.

"N.C. State strenuously disputes and is contesting the NCAA's most serious Level I allegation based on a lack of evidence of a recruiting violation, combined with the improper use of information from a criminal trial," NC State said in a statement on Monday. "As a result, we assert that this infractions case should be viewed as, at most, a potential Level II case."

According to a report from ESPN, NC State's formal response took the assertion one step further, claiming Smith Jr.'s lack of involvement, combined with evidence at hand, should be enough for the NCAA to strongly consider lessening its charges.

"Specifically, the evidence in the record demonstrates that Smith Jr. did not receive any money and that he was unaware of any money being provided to Farmer and/or to his family by Adidas, Gassnola or Early," the response said.

The NCAA in its NOA alleges that Smith Jr., as a byproduct of allegedly being paid to play, was ineligible while playing in 32 games for NC State during the 2016-17 season. In addition to the alleged payment, the NCAA also found Smith Jr. was provided an impermissible benefit via a parking pass to an NC State football game, which by NCAA's letter of the law is a Level II violation.

Former assistant coach Orlando Early is also accused of providing 44 complimentary tickets to Smith Jr's father for NC State men's basketball games, as well as more than 100 tickets to family and friends. Early was the top assistant for Gottfried, now the coach at CS Northridge, for six seasons at NC State. Early has refused to cooperate with the NCAA in the case.

The NCAA will have 60 days to respond to NC State's rebuttal. Upon its response, a meeting with the Committee on Infractions will be scheduled, with a final NCAA ruling to follow shortly thereafter.

 

[gravejd 3,270]

I guess the NC States of the world are no longer willing to roll over for the ncaa. Does an arbitrator get involved now to determine what the penalties will be? 

[AlaskanFAN 1,666]

well we see if the NCAA wants show any teeth