Kansas self-imposes 4-game suspension for Bill Self

Kansas has self-imposed a four-game suspension for head coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend to open the 2022-23 college basketball season.

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman was the first to report the news.

The four-game suspension will take Self and Townsend off the floor for the Champions Classic, when the Jayhawks are set to take on Duke in Indianapolis on November 15. Assistant Norm Roberts will serve as acting coach to open the season.

They will also miss home games against Omaha, North Carolina State and Southern Utah.

Self and Townsend will return for the Battle 4 Atlantis when KU will take on NC State on Nov. 23.

Kansas will also self-impose recruiting restrictions, which started this past year 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 this academic year and in 2023-24, along with three total scholarships in men’s basketball over the next three years.

Kansas will implement 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.

“Coach Townsend and I accept and support KU’s decision to self-impose these sanctions,” Self said in a statement. “We are in good hands with Coach 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 and I look forward to returning to the bench for our game against NC State.”

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.

The program’s complete list of penalties are expected to be handed down at the conclusion of the season.

“We are hopeful these difficult self-imposed sanctions will assist in bringing the case to a conclusion.” Kansas AD Travis Goff said in a statement. “Until then, we will continue to focus on supporting our outstanding men’s basketball student-athletes and coaches.”