An alleged $40,000 payment to former basketball star Dennis Smith Jr. is at the center of the NCAA's case against N.C. State.
In its 66-page response to the Notice of Allegations the NCAA sent in July, N.C. State questioned the evidence of the payment by T.J. Gassnola, a former Adidas associate, and the veracity of Gassnola's testimony during a federal fraud trial in New York in 2018.
N.C. State submitted its response, prepared by the Bond, Schoeneck & King law firm, to the NCAA on Monday. The NCAA has 60 days to respond. Scheduling a hearing with NCAA's Committee on Infractions will be the subsequent step. That could happen as soon as March.
"When this process started, we promised accountability where appropriate and vigorous defense where necessary, and our response does exactly that," Chancellor Randy Woodson said in a statement released by the school on Monday. "We look forward to a thorough and accurate review by the panel of the committee on infractions and a fair resolution of this case for the university and the NCAA."
As a part of N.C. State's response, it has suggested self-imposed sanctions of:
_ The loss of one scholarship for the 2021-22 recruiting class (or if one comes open before then).
_ The reduction in the number of official recruiting visits during the 2019-20 academic year.
_ The prohibition of unofficial visits during a two-week period during the 2019-20 academic year.
_ A $5,000 fine.
The NCAA will rule after the hearing. A postseason ban, scholarship reductions, vacating the 15 wins from the 2016-17 season and a fine are all possible punishments. The most severe violations in the NOA are tied to former head coach Mark Gottfried and former assistant coach Orlando Early, while the lesser violations concerning ticket distribution, are tied specifically to the school.
