Bill Self discusses when ongoing NCAA investigation will conclude

As Kansas returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2018, a cloud remains over the program. The NCAA investigation against head coach Bill Self and the Jayhawks continues more than two years after a Notice of Allegations cited five Level I violations.

Kansas has backed Bill Self and his staff throughout the NCAA investigation, choosing not to take drastic actions within the program despite accusations of a lack of institutional control which could lead to scholarship reductions, postseason bans, suspensions and more. In fact, the Jayhawks signed their long-time head coach to a lifetime contact on Apr. 2, 2021.

Ahead of the 2022 Final Four appearance against Villanova, with a chance to face either Duke or North Carolina in the national championship game, Self addressed the latest off the court.

“Well, I can’t comment on anything that’s ongoing with the case about anything, but I do hope that the end is soon,” said Self. “I believe we’re getting closer. And I know that no one probably from any party has wanted this to go as long as it has. But I do believe that the end is soon.”

The slow NCAA investigation process has come under fire in recent weeks with politicians calling for a more streamlined process. However, in recent weeks, two other schools with a pending notice of allegations received significant updates in their case. The first led LSU to fire head coach Will Wade, sparking a transfer portal exodus which saw the Tigers lose all 13 scholarship players from last season’s roster. Memphis also got an update, but continues to fight the charges with head coach Penny Hardaway at the helm.

Politicians on NCAA

The process of NCAA infractions might be getting completely overhauled soon. According to Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, two US senators are proposing a new bipartisan bill called the NCAA Accountability Act of 2021.

That bill, proposed by Tennessee senator Marsha Blackburn and New Jersey senator Cory Booker, would completely change the process of investigating and completing the NCAA infractions process.

“The 10-page bill, obtained by Sports Illustrated and scheduled for release later Tuesday, is an attempt to streamline, shorten and bring greater equity to an NCAA investigative arm that has drawn harsh criticism from virtually every corner of college athletics,” Dellenger said. “It has now caught the ire of high-ranking congressional leaders at a time when the college sports industry has faced its most extreme scrutiny.

Just in the last two years, lawmakers have held more than a half dozen hearings over what they deem to be injustices within the industry. In fact, four Democratic Congress members are set to hold a virtual summit Wednesday about what they call ‘gross inequities’ in college sports.”