The University of Memphis admitted Wednesday to Sports Illustrated that he delivered to the NCAA a letter from an anonymous author alleging multiple rule violations within the men’s basketball program. Among the allegations are that head coach Penny Hardaway paid to secure the commitments of two players between 2020 and 2022.
While college basketball players are allowed to be compensated for the use of their name, image and likeness — and soon direct revenue sharing with their schools – the allegations against Hardaway fall outside the bounds of what is allowed under NCAA rules.
Specifically, it is alleged in the letter, which was reviewed by CBS Sports, that Hardaway “initiated” a $30,000 payment to a former player’s prep school coach in order to secure the player’s commitment in 2020. The letter writer also claimed that Hardaway paid $60,000 for another player’s commitment in 2022, even though that player ultimately never signed on. played for the Tigers.
The letter also contains allegations about the extent of academic misconduct within the program. The program’s faculty advisor was fired in February, as was the veterans center Malcolm Danridge was suspended for potential academic misconduct.
Memphis, which has been operating under new athletic director Ed Scott since July, self-reported the issue with Dandridge to the NCAA, according to the sales call. But in the letter, it is alleged that four players were involved in alleged academic malfeasance through a scheme in which others were paid to complete the players’ duties.
The university acknowledged receipt of the letter just hours later Hardaway announced the departures of four staff members. Among the dismissed assistants was the former Mississippi State And Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury, who served as the program’s senior assistant last season.
With former longtime Division I head coach Mike Davis joining the staff as an assistant, the September shakeup leaves Hardaway with vacancies to fill less than two months before the start of his seventh season.
Hardaway, 53, was 133-62 (69-36 AAC) and has never won fewer than 20 games since taking over before the 2018-19 season. But the legendary Memphis alumnus and NBA The star reached just two NCAA tournaments and won just one game in the Big Dance, all while overseeing a program mired in chaos.
His tenure was first mired in scandal during the 2019-20 season, when former five-star prospect James Wiseman was suspended for 12 games due to alleged recruiting inducements. Memphis first retaliated against the NCAA’s action by confronting Wiseman in defiance of the suspension. But Wiseman ultimately sat out after three appearances and never played another game for the Tigers.
Nonetheless, Wiseman’s case dogged the program for nearly three years before it was adjudicated through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) in 2022, which amounted to a slap on the wrist.
Although Hardaway avoided major sanctions in that case, he was suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season in a separate NCAA infractions case related to unauthorized recruiting visits. The NCAA considered infractions that occurred during the 2021-22 season to be Level II violations.
Now, with the self-reported academic problem and other potential violations alleged in the anonymous letter, Hardaway is back under the NCAA’s microscope at a time when frustration has grown over the program’s poor results and seemingly capricious leadership.
Beyond the NCAA’s problems, there has been consistent staff and roster turnover that has far exceeded the normal levels of attrition seen at most Division I programs not undergoing head coaching changes.
As the number of players and coaches participating in the program increases, so do the errors on the field. Memphis started the 2023-24 season 15-2 and rose as high as 10th in the AP poll before a late-season collapse crushed its chances of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers won a first-round NCAA Tournament game against the No. 8 seed. Boise State in 2022 but were ousted by the No. 1 seed Gonzaga in the next round. This marks the highlight of the program under Hardaway, as the Tigers lost a heartbreaker to the No. 9 seed. FAU in the first round the following year.
