Arizona State is self-imposing a one-year bowl ban for its football program in the wake of damning recruiting violations, ESPN reported Sunday.
Most of the violations stem from a trove of documents submitted to the NCAA in 2021 that allege the school was consistently breaking rules during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
The allegations included a mother purchasing tickets for her son to travel to campus, illicit campus visits when visitors were prohibited and a staff member giving an under-the-table workout to a player, which was later reviewed in an offensive staff meeting.
The bowl ban was “devastating” for the team, ESPN reported, as the Sun Devils kick off their season Thursday night against Utah State.
“Their entire goal this year was to right the ship and to make a bowl game,” a source told ESPN about the seniors and veterans on the roster.
The self-imposed ban indicates that the evidence the NCAA has gathered was severe enough for the school to take action by itself.
Five full-time coaches have already been fired as a result of the investigations, including defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce, who was alleged to be the ringleader.
Pierce played nine years in the NFL including five years with the Giants, winning a Super Bowl with the team during their magical 2008 playoff run, and has since been hired by the Raiders as their linebackers coach.
Former coach Herm Edwards was fired three games into last season after a crushing loss to Eastern Michigan, and new coach Kenny Dillingham is set to make his debut on Thursday.
More than 50 of the Sun Devils’ players were recruited by Dillingham as opposed to Edwards and his staff.
The question of punishing those not connected to the allegations has emerged as a “hot-button issue,” the ESPN report said.
The University of Tennessee football program was recently embroiled in a similar scandal regarding head coach Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure, but the school avoided a bowl ban and was fined $8 million instead.
Arizona State finished 3-9 last season and was 10th in the Pac-12, failing to make a bowl game.
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