The Kansas basketball program is expected to be hit with "multiple major violations" by the NCAA, according to the Kansas City Star, stemming from the FBI's years-long quest of weeding out corruption and bribery within the sport. While KU denied it has received any NCAA notification regarding any allegations of wrongdoing, it did not deny that a notification may be imminent.
After the FBI's probe brought about trial and testimony that roped Kansas and many other schools into the fray, many expected KU could be in the NCAA's crosshairs. In an interview with CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd earlier this summer, NCAA executive Stan Wilcox said at least six unnamed schools would receive notices of allegations, including Level I allegations -- the most serious -- included in the documents. Wilcox did not name any schools, though Arizona, Kansas and Louisville had been under the NCAA microscope prior to his public comments.
In a sentencing memorandum addressed to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan earlier this month, Gassnola was commended for his cooperation and testimony in the trial that led to convictions of Adidas executive James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and aspiring business manager Christian Dawkins.
"Over the course of several lengthy proffer sessions, Gassnola spoke openly about his involvement in the criminal conduct, describing his relationship with Gatto, Code, Dawkins, and others, and the payments to the families of student-athletes he made and facilitated on behalf of Adidas, in his role as a consultant in an effort to help the company in the 'shoe wars,'" the memorandum read. "In particular, and in addition to confirming details about the planned payments to the Bowen and Little families, which were known to law enforcement, Gassnola identified a series of unlawful payments that had not, at that point, been identified during the investigation, including the $90,000 in payments to the mother of Billy Preston and $40,000 to the handler of Dennis Smith Jr."
Should Kansas receive an NCAA notice of allegations, it would become the second of six programs expected to get one following the FBI investigation into bribes and corruption in college basketball. In July, the NCAA charged NC State with two Level I violations, including a failure to monitor charge against former coach Mark Gottfried, who now coaches at Cal State Northridge. Any parties hit in the case have 90 days from the time a notice of allegations is received to issue a formal response to the NCAA.
