LAWRENCE, Kan. — Early in the process when Kansas put out a statement that strongly disagreed with the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations, the organization made it clear to Kansas that critiquing it or the penalties it levied at KU stemming from the FBI’s investigation into college basketball would be held against the basketball program.
Since then, coach Bill Self and the athletic department have been steadfast in not saying anything about its case on the record. With that in mind, Self was hesitant Thursday, a day following the school’s self-imposed penalties on itself, to talk specifics or give his opinion outside of agreeing with what’s been decided.
“I thought from a responsibility standpoint, the institution certainly, you know, showed institutional responsibility in what went down,” Self said following KU’s 94-63 exhibition win against Pittsburg State. “We can’t get into any facts about anything, but (assistant coach Kurtis Townsend) and I both are aligned with what the school has done, and we support it. So we think it was the appropriate thing to do to show, basically, the responsibility that we need to. I don’t like it. But I don’t know that anybody would like sitting out.”
When asked about the timeline — now five years in — Self responded: “I’m not going to talk about anything about anything. Because we’ve been told not to.”
He did admit he’s looking forward to when it’s over.
Self said he has been part of the conversations as the university decided what penalties it would self-impose, ultimately deciding on a four-game suspension for he and Townsend, as well as recruiting limitations and the loss over three total scholarships over the next three seasons.
The Independent Accountability Resolution Process has now delivered rulings on three of its five cases, the latest of which was Louisville on Thursday morning. That ruling was relevant to Kansas because the IARP concluded that Louisville’s “case record did not provide sufficient or credible information to conclude that the apparel company (Adidas) was a representation of athletics interests.” That’s what Kansas has been arguing all along, and is a good sign for its case.
When asked if Self has any takeaways from the IARP ruling thus far, he said: “I have no takeaway on that. I don’t understand all the nuances that go on. And to be candid with you, if I don’t understand it, then it’s hard for anybody else to understand it because I’m in the middle of it.
“There’s a lot of people out there speculating … which is fine. I mean, people have their opinions. But I can’t take anything from what anything else has happened. I’m just concerned about what’s going on with us.”
Self will continue to coach his team outside of game days when he will hand the reigns to assistant coach Norm Roberts. And now Kansas waits to see how the IARP will handle its case.
(Photo: William Purnell / USA Today)
