NCAA levies sanctions against LSU, former assistant James Cregg for recruiting violations

The NCAA released its ruling regarding LSU infractions centered around former Tigers offensive line coach James Cregg on Thursday.

The ruling describes how the LSU football program violated recruiting rules when a former assistant coach (Cregg) and former assistant director of recruiting met separately with a prospect during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period and provided the prospect with impermissible recruiting inducements.

The panel classified the case as Level II-mitigated for the university, Level II-aggravated for the former assistant coach and Level II-standard for the former assistant director of recruiting. The penalties include:

• One year of probation.
• A $5,000 fine (self-imposed).
• A limit of official visits for football to 55 during the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
• A one-week prohibition against unofficial visits in the football program prior to the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
• A one-week prohibition against recruiting communications in the football program prior to the start of the 2022-23 academic year (self-imposed).
• A reduction of seven evaluation days in the football program during the fall 2021 evaluation period (self-imposed).
• A three-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach. During that period, any NCAA member school employing him must restrict him from any off-campus recruiting activities unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply. 

LSU football hit with year of probation

The program fired Cregg in June of 2021 for cause, alleging that he committed recruiting violations while working under Ed Orgeron. Cregg, a former NFL assistant, fought back against the “for cause” firing with a breach of contract lawsuit.

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The NCAA’s ruling on Thursday could greatly impact the OL coach’s case against the program. Although a judge already ruled in favor of the former assistant, LSU could use the NCAA’s ruling in an appeal. The judge decided in August of this year that the Tigers must pay Cregg $492,945 for breach of contract.

The LSU football and basketball programs have other active cases with the NCAA that are under review via the “Independent Accountability Resolution Process.” Those cases include as many as eight Level I violations, mostly stemming from Will Wade’s time with the basketball team.

James Cregg fired following alleged recruiting infractions

Cregg sued LSU for breach of contract after his firing in June 2021. The program gave him the axe after the school said he violated NCAA rules.

According to The Advocate’s Joe Gyan, Cregg’s lawsuit acknowledges that coach Ed Orgeron provided Cregg a letter on June 2 stating LSU’s intent to fire him “for cause” because Cregg admitted to an NCAA enforcement official in May to “visiting with and providing gear to a team prospect during the COVID recruiting dead period.”

Representation for the former assistant filed the lawsuit in August of 2021 in Baton Rouge state court. James Cregg claims in the lawsuit that the NCAA “has never issued a ruling or decision that Coach Cregg has committed a Level I or Level II violation, or repeated Level III and/or Level IV violations, of the NCAA bylaws such that … the Employment Agreement could provide a for cause justification for LSU to terminate coach Cregg’s employment.”

According to his contract with LSU, if without cause, the university would have to pay him the total remaining base salary and supplemental compensation in monthly installments equal to the amount of time remaining in the term.

James Cregg had one year remaining on his contract at the time of his firing and was expected to make nearly $700,000 from LSU.

Cregg was hired by LSU in December 2017. Prior to his time at LSU, he spent four seasons as the assistant offensive line coach for the Chargers. He won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 2015.

On3’s Tim Verghese contributed to this report.