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Friday, April 19
The Indiana Daily Student

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NCAA: Sampson misled IU about recruiting calls

University announces NCAA allegations

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff violated telephone recruiting restrictions imposed because of his previous violations at Oklahoma, then lied about it to the school and NCAA investigators, according to an NCAA report released Wednesday.\nThe report sent to the university Friday accuses Sampson of five major violations, including the allegation of providing "false or misleading information" to university officials and NCAA enforcement staff. The school contended in its initial report that all violations were secondary infractions.\nBut the NCAA accused Sampson of failing "to deport himself ... with the generally recognized high standard of honesty" and failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the mens basketball program, categorized as major infractions.\nAthletic director Rick Greenspan promised the university would cooperate with all NCAA requests.\n"We are extremely disappointed in these new allegations regarding coach Sampson," Greenspan said in a statement. "To say the least, we view these allegations with grave concern."\nIndiana has until May 8 to provide a written response to the report. The report says Indiana officials will be required to appear June 14 in Seattle at a hearing before the Division I infractions committee.\nMajor violations of NCAA rules can carry significant punishments, including postseason bans.\nIndiana has not had a major NCAA violation in any sport since 1960.\nThe report comes more than three months after the university announced an internal investigation found Sampson made more than 100 impermissible phone calls while still on NCAA probation for similar infractions at Oklahoma. Indiana has imposed sanctions on Sampson — forfeiting a $500,000 pay raise and one scholarship next season.\nThe NCAA, which could impose additional sanctions, reaffirmed some of Indiana's own findings, that Sampson had engaged in a series of three-way calls that are permissible under NCAA rules but prohibited as part of the punishment against Sampson in May 2006.\nBut the report also says Sampson was present when his staff called recruits, had assistant coach Rob Senderoff call a prospect and hand him the phone and knowingly participated in three-way calls with at least three recruits. The report said Senderoff, who has since resigned from the staff, initiated those calls. All were violations of NCAA restrictions.\nThe university also punished Senderoff by forfeiting his bonuses or salary increases for one year.\nThe NCAA also said Sampson failed to monitor his staff's phone call documentation.\nSenderoff also was accused of lying to the university's enforcement staff and NCAA investigators and failing to adhere to the NCAA's expected ethical standards. He is accused of enabling the three-way calls, allowing Sampson to speak with recruits on a speaker phone and lying when he signed monthly statements denying use of his home phone for recruiting purposes.\nThe NCAA found Senderoff made at least one recruiting call from his home phone during three months in 2006 and from February through July 2007.\n"The institution reported that Senderoff placed at least 30 calls from his home phone that were violations of the restrictions imposed on the men's basketball staff by the committee on infractions," the report said.\nSampson first got in trouble with the NCAA for making 577 impermissible calls from 2000 to 2004 and was sanctioned by the NCAA in May 2006, less than two months after taking the Indiana job. Sampson was banned from calling recruits and making off-campus visits for one year.\nSampson said in October he was unaware he had participated in three-way conversations on nine of the 10 calls that were found.\nAssistant coach Jeff Meyer was accused of having illegal contact with recruit Derek Elston during Indiana's basketball camp last summer and giving Elston a backpack and T-shirt, considered improper benefits under NCAA rules.\nMeyer issued an apology through a lawyer.\n"In my 29 years as a college coach, I have tried to maintain a reputation for integrity, fairness and good sportsmanship, values shared by Indiana University and the NCAA," Meyer said in a statement released by attorney Stu Brown. "I regret that I may have made mistakes that are causing my and IU's conduct to be examined by the NCAA. I will continue to cooperate with both the university and the NCAA, and I will not comment on this process again before it is completed."

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