The NCAA banned the Georgia Tech men's basketball program from the postseason for the 2019-20 season, placed it on four years probation and also handed out additional penalties in a ruling handed down on Thursday.
The sanctions come in the wake of a scandal in which the NCAA deemed that two boosters provided impermissible benefits to the program as well as players within it. CBS Sports' Gary Parrish reported news of multiple misdeeds committed in 2017 under coach Josh Pastner.
In the report from the Committee on Infractions released on Thursday, the NCAA says it found two major violations: one the result of a high-profile recruitment of a prospect that included a visit to a booster's house, a trip to the strip club with $300 spending money for the prospect and host once inside, and a free meal. The coach who arranged for the visit did not cooperate fully with the NCAA's investigation into the matter and tried to convince the student-athlete host to lie about the incident. That coach now faces a three-year show-cause penalty and a three-year disassociation from Georgia Tech.
The other major violation came when a separate booster provided impermissible benefits to a potential transfer student-athlete that included thousands of dollars in the form of shoes, lodging, clothing, transportation and meals.
As a result of the violations, Georgia Tech has been handed a postseason ban for the 2019-20 season and faces four years probation, a fine of $5,000 plus 2% of the men's basketball budget, a reduction in scholarships as well as other sanctions.
Below is a full list of the punishments as it reads from the NCAA:
- Four years of probation.
- A 2019-20 postseason ban for the men's basketball team.
- A fine of $5,000 plus 2% of the men's basketball program budget.
- A reduction of one men's basketball scholarship during each year of probation.
- Recruiting restrictions for the men's basketball program that will apply for each year of probation, including:
- An eight-week ban on unofficial visits.
- A three-visit reduction from the permissible number of official visits.
- An eight-week ban on recruiting communications.
- A reduction of 19 recruiting-person days from the permissible number.
- 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 athletically related duties unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply.
- A vacation of records in which the men's basketball student-athletes competed while ineligible. The university must provide a written report containing the contests impacted to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 14 days of the public decision release.
- A prohibition from scheduling official visits in conjunction with home men's basketball competitions during the first two years of probation.
- Disassociations of the following individuals (self-imposed by the university):
- A three-year disassociation of the former assistant coach.
- A three-year disassociation of the former Georgia Tech men's basketball student-athlete and booster.
- A disassociation of the head coach's friend and booster.
Pastner is 48-53 at Georgia Tech entering his fourth season with the Yellow Jackets.
