Assistant Tosh Lupoi investigated
— -- Washington Huskies assistant football coach Tosh Lupoi is being investigated for potential violations of NCAA rules after he allegedly paid for tutoring and online classes for a recruit, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday night.
The Times said on its website that Washington and USC are looking into the allegations against Lupoi, who is in his second year as the Huskies' defensive line coach. He was hired in 2012 by Steve Sarkisian, who was Washington's head coach at the time of the potential violations. Sarkisian left the Huskies for the head-coaching job at USC earlier this month.
The University of Washington confirmed the investigation to The Associated Press.
According to the Times, the allegations against Lupoi involve former Huskies defensive line recruit Andrew Basham (Martha Lake, Wash./Lynnwood), who signed a letter of intent with Washington as a member of the class of 2012 but did not qualify academically to enroll.
Mike Davis, a throwing coach who helped Basham win a state shot put title in track and field, told the Times that Lupoi gave him $3,000 for private tutoring for Basham and $1,500 to reimburse Basham's father for online classes.
David Roberts, USC's vice president for athletic compliance, told the newspaper that he spoke with Davis and Sarkisian about the alleged activity and that "we don't have any concerns about Steve's involvement."
Added Sarkisian to the Times: "When I was at Washington I did everything within my power to make sure we were 100 percent compliant in all NCAA and Pac-12 rules, and I'm going to operate the exact same way here at USC."
Lupoi has built a reputation in recent years as a top recruiter and had been rumored as a possible candidate to join Sarkisian at USC. Three former Washington assistant coaches -- Johnny Nansen, Peter Sirmon and Keith Heyward -- are already on the Trojans' staff, and both Lupoi and Huskies defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox were mentioned as others who could follow.
Sarkisian listed Lupoi as a possible candidate with the USC compliance office, and Roberts told the Times that all proposed candidates were vetted.
The Times, citing a USC source with knowledge of the process, said Lupoi's chance of being hired by the Trojans is now "less than zero."
Lupoi and the Huskies currently are preparing for the Fight Hunger Bowl against BYU in San Francisco on Dec. 27. Chris Peterson was named Washington's new head coach earlier this month.
Information from ESPN.com's Garry Paskwietz and The Associated Press was used in this report.
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