Bill Self, Kansas avoid major penalties with conclusion of NCAA infractions case

The NCAA has provided its final ruling on the Kansas basketball infractions case, and the Jayhawks saw several penalties revised downward.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Review Process (IARP) concluded that the five Level I allegations against the program ultimately did not rise to that standard.

As a result, the IARP doled out a three-year probation for Kansas that will not include any postseason prohibitions. Moreover, coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend both avoided a show-cause penalty.

Kansas will have to vacate all wins in which Silvio De Sousa played in during the 2017-18 campaign, a total of 15. The program must also vacate its wins from the NCAA Tournament that year, with the program no longer able to recognize a Final Four appearance. A Big 12 Tournament title was also vacated.

The Jayhawks already imposed a four-game suspension for both Self and Townsend at the start of the 2022-23 season.

The program also self-imposed recruiting restrictions, which started in 2022 when Self and Townsend took themselves off the recruiting trail for four months this spring and summer (April through July 2022). The Jayhawks also took away four official visits during the 2022-23 academic year and in 2023-24, along with three total scholarships in men’s basketball over the next three years.

Kansas implemented a six-week ban on recruiting communications, a six-week ban on unofficial visits and a thirteen-day reduction in the number of permissible recruiting days during the 2022-23 calendar year. The Jayhawks also chose to not host any official visitors for Late Night in the Phog back in October 2022.

“Coach Townsend and I accept and support KU’s decision to self-impose these sanctions,” Self said in a statement when news of his suspension was first announced. “We are in good hands with coach (Norm) Roberts, and I am confident that he will do a great job on the bench leading our team. I am proud of the way our guys have handled this situation.”

Kansas was charged with five Level I NCAA violations amid the FBI’s investigation into college basketball back in 2017.  Among the charges? Lack of institutional control and a head coach responsibility charge against Self after it was found payments were made by Adidas to various Kansas players.

According to Sports Illustrated, the Level I violation against Self was dropped to a Level III violation by the IARP. Townsend’s Level I violations were reduced to Level II and Level III violations.