Emotional Mike Boynton blasts NCAA's postseason ban for Oklahoma State

Following the rejection of an appeal Oklahoma State filed in relation to improper recruiting practices, Cowboys head coach Mike Boynton painted a certain picture of where he stands on the issue on Wednesday. 

“The message is clear,” Boynton said, per Jon Rothstein. “We had one $300 violation — no failure to monitor. No lack of institutional control. No head coach control charge. No ineligible players playing. So if you have some of that stuff — don’t do what we did.

“I’m disappointed, disgusted, appalled, but somewhere in Indianapolis, there’s a group of people celebrating,” Boynton added.

Oklahoma State will be barred from postseason play this upcoming season as a result of the Level I violation. Sanctions against the school were originally announced in June 2020 after a 2019 notice of allegations. Because the NCAA failed to resolve the issue prior to the 2021 postseason, the Cowboys were allowed to participate in postseason play last year. 

The ban is the first to occur as a result of the broad investigation implicating several Division I schools. NC State and Auburn are involved in the FBI case, as well as LSU and their current head coach Will Wade.

Big 12 commissioner issues statement

A few hours after the appeal was denied, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby issued a statement on the situation.

“Today’s announcement concludes a difficult process for Oklahoma State University,” the statement reads. “ I believe OSU leadership was highly cooperative and made a compelling case for relief.  In the end, the Infractions Appeals Process yielded a set of penalties to which we will carefully comply. 

“Conference rule prohibits an institution under a NCAA postseason ban from competing in the Big 12 Championship tournament during the [affected] season.  It has been many years since any of our schools received such a ban and, as a result, I anticipate a policy review by our Athletics Directors to ensure that current stipulations remain appropriate.”

As a result of the ban, Oklahoma State’s season will conclude on March 5.

Five-year saga comes to an end

The punishment is a result of illegal recruiting practices by former Oklahoma State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Lamont Evans. He was terminated from the university in 2017 within days of an announcement that the charges would be filed. He gave $300 to one of the players, the amount Boynton mentioned on Wednesday.

In 2019, Evans was sentenced three months in prison for accepting bribes to point recruits toward agents and financial advisors and from Oklahoma State and South Carolina. He was ordered to forfeit $22,000, after accepting between $18,150 and $22,000, and work 100 hours of community service. The original notice of allegations from the NCAA came in November 2019.

No one currently on the Oklahoma State staff has been named or charged in the case. Boynton has been in Stillwater since the 2017-2018 season.

On the bright side for Boynton, the recruiting purgatory he was in as a result of the uncertainty can now end. He has previously said that the lack of answers caused him to lose at least one recruit. Oklahoma State has just one commit in their 2022 class, four-star Quion Williams.

Oklahoma State opens their season with UT-Arlington on Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m. CT.