Ohio State Football, Basketball Programs Self-Report Minor NCAA Violations

According to a public records request from Eleven Warriors, the Ohio State football and basketball program self-reported multiple violations to the NCAA between May 1, 2017, and May 22, 2019.

Most of the 22 self-reported incidents — 16 for football and six for basketball — were considered minor violations, and the athletic department handed out self-imposed punishments as a result. But in four other instances, the NCAA determined it needed to alter and/or increase the punishments handed down by the athletic department.

One of the most notable incidents included the Ohio State footbal program agreeing to stop recruiting current Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons after he took pictures on the set of ESPN’s College Gamedady and met with the analysts, including former Buckeye quarterback Kirk Herbstreit and 1995 Heisman Trophy-winning running back Eddie George.

The football team also went over the allotted number of scholarships in Spring 2017 because the compliance department told the coaches three players could split two scholarships. This led to the program receiving a one-scholarship reduction at the “next available opportunity,” though it’s unclear if that has already occurred.

Other violations, with the date they were reported, include:

• Impermissible text messages – March 4, 2019
• Impermissible phone calls – Dec. 19, 2018
• Impermissible promotion – Nov. 27, 2018
• Preferential treatment – Oct. 31, 2018
• An assistant recruiting before passing required exam – Oct. 10, 2018
• Student-athlete reinstatement – Aug. 29, 2018
• Impermissible publicity – May 9, 2018
• Promotion using student-athlete image – May 9, 2018
• Impermissible publicity and inducement – Sept. 26, 2017
• Impermissible tweet – Sept. 14, 2017
• Impermissible electronic correspondence – Sept. 14, 2017
• Impermissible text messages – July 15, 2017
• Use of name/image/likeness – July 15, 2017
• Use of outside consultant – July 15, 2017
• Big Ten tender filing deadline missed – July 12, 2017
• Financial aid overage – May 25, 2017

First-year Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and his new coaching staff were unable to speak with recruits from the class of 2020 between Feb. 6-18 as a result of the impermissible phone calls listed above.

The Buckeyes’ basketball program, meanwhile, self-reported past violations that included paying for a recruit’s meal that exceeded the allotted amount of $40 while he was on an official visit and ordering alcohol from a hotel bar for the family that exceeded the beverage policy amount of $23.25.

Additional violations include:

• Free camp admission – Oct. 12, 2018
• Recruiting inducement – May 11, 2018
• Impermissible booster group – May 3, 2018
• Impermissible publicity and inducement – Nov. 16, 2017

Among those reported incidents, three basketball recruits walked onto the set of College Gameday and met with the ESPN personalities the same day as Parsons. Ohio State’s self-imposed punishment included banning all athletic programs from the vicinity of the set for the remainder of the year and providing education to ESPN producers to avoid such instances in the future.

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