NCAA upholds penalty for ex-UConn coach Kevin Ollie
The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee has upheld the findings against former UConn men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie and kept intact his three-year show-cause order, the NCAA announced Wednesday.
Ollie was sanctioned in July for failing to monitor his staff, not promoting an atmosphere of compliance and allegedly providing false or misleading statements to NCAA investigators.
In that decision, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions said the violations were primarily the result of three situations: pickup games exceeding preseason countable athletically related activity limits, a video coordinator counting as a coach and resulting in more than the allowable number of coaches, and a booster providing extra benefits to student-athletes.
The NCAA said the appeals committee upheld Ollie's punishment "because he included few or no arguments regarding overturning this penalty and failed to demonstrate that the Committee on Infractions abused its discretion by prescribing the penalty."
Ollie's attorney, Jacques Parenteau, issued a statement to ESPN after the ruling.
"While we are not surprised that the NCCA Infractions Appeals Committee would simply rubber stamp the original, biased decision, it is disgraceful this committee refused to consider the ample evidence produced by counsel for Kevin Ollie showing that witnesses had lied," he said.
"Throughout this process the NCAA has repeatedly demonstrated that its number one priority is to protect UConn, its member, and will eagerly do so at the expense of Kevin Ollie's rights. What is most shameful is the NCAA pretends that its decisions are based upon a fair adjudicative process when clearly that is not the case. Nevertheless, we will continue to fight for Kevin Ollie in the ongoing arbitration and are confident that his rights will ultimately be vindicated."
UConn had also been placed on two years' probation in the July ruling, was told to vacate records from games with ineligible players and had recruiting restrictions implemented. The school had self-imposed penalties in January 2019, including a loss of one scholarship for last season.
Ollie, a UConn guard from 1991 to 1995, was elevated to head coach of his alma mater in 2012, replacing Jim Calhoun. In his second season, 2013-14, Ollie guided the Huskies to a 32-8 record and their fourth NCAA championship in 15 years.
Ollie's teams reached the NCAA tournament only once more in his final four seasons, and he was fired in March 2018 after a 14-18 finish.
ESPN's Myron Medcalf contributed to this report.
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