Legendary ESPN announcer Dick Vitale noticed the forceful tone of the NCAA in its Thursday response to the Kansas athletic department's stance that it is not guilty of any of the five Level One violations alleged by the organization against KU basketball.
"It's been really a tough time going on up in Jayhawk land right now," the 80-year-old Vitale said in a Twitter Q and A with fans on Friday.
"The NCAA ... they are not playing games, man. They are really coming after people. A few other schools are going to be a little nervous right now, as well, really a nervous wreck," added Vitale, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"I'm telling you, they (Jayhawks) are in a battle. One thing about Kansas, though, they are unified. The president, the athletic director, Jeff Long, and the coach, Bill Self said, 'Hey, we are not guilty. We did not commit ANY violations,' and the NCAA (is) kind of upset about the fact that according to their (Jayhawks') response was the fact they really don't feel they are taking any kind of accountability for anything.
"I don't know if they (NCAA officials) are going to be extra hard (on KU) because they have a little chip on their shoulder. It's going to be interesting to see what happens ... unbelievable. That's going to be heating up big time."
Now that the NCAA has issued a response to KU's own response to a notice of allegations, a hearing will be scheduled to try the case, with a decision to follow.
KU can appeal any decision if the NCAA infractions committee decides the upcoming infractions case. KU cannot appeal if the new independent accountability resolution panel hears the case. It has yet to be determined which group will do so.
If KU doesn't like the NCAA's decision regarding possible penalties, KU's athletic department and/or coach Self could take the case to federal court.
"Bill is definitely keeping his feelings (about his innocence regarding alleged violations). He's told me: 'We didn't do anything, no violations, none," Vitale said on the Q and A. "And he's got support from his president and also his AD."
Meanwhile, there have been mixed reactions by a pair of national writers to the NCAA enforcement staff's 92-page reply to KU regarding alleged infractions that the NCAA said Thursday were "egregious, severe and are the kind that significantly undermine and threaten the NCAA Collegiate Model."
Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News in his opinion piece, "NCAA response to Kansas, Bill Self shows confidence in its case but not an abundance of logic."
DeCourcy's article suggests the NCAA's case alleging Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend knew of payments made by Adidas rep T.J. Gassnola to players' families and/or guardians is not rock solid: He wrote: "Gassnola testified that neither those two (Self, Townsend) nor any other Jayhawks coaches were aware of the payments he made to prospects' families, but the NCAA's tactic is to insist this does not mitigate what occurred. This is the equivalent of building a high-rise tower on a foundation of sand."
DeCourcy's piece also stated: "The NCAA further stated that although Kansas pointed out the logical fallacies in place in the enforcement division's case, 'there is no cause for concern among member institutions as most of their relationships with corporate entities comply with NCAA legislation.' I've been a reader long enough to have read some preposterous sentences, but this might set a new world record."
Reporter Pat Forde of SI.com wrote a piece highly critical of Kansas entitled "Kansas did nothing to stop Adidas' T.J. Gassnola and that's why it's in this mess."
Forde wrote Friday that KU "welcomed Gassnola into its orbit and never lifted a finger to monitor him _ despite his 'scum bag' status in the eyes of the administration.
"Why? Because Self obviously wanted him involved. And nobody at Kansas _ including his titular superiors _ was going to question a national champion coach who owned the Big 12. Nobody in the Kansas administration questioned Self about Gassnola's association with the program.
"What Bill Self wanted, Bill Self got. That includes tens of millions of dollars during his Kansas tenure to date. And now it includes Level One NCAA allegations that could result in massive penalties for both the school and the coach."
Forde added in his article: "Self has taken the position that Gassnola was basically just part of the AAU/sneaker circuit scenery. Someone who is around, and who his program dealt with, but not someone it relied on for help in recruiting. That's despite the text exchanges between the two that were revealed in court and are part of the NCAA's NOA, in which Gassnola says helping Self is his top priority. (That's after Self texts Gassnola that they 'just got to get some real guys').
"If Bill Self had spent the first 15 years of the 21st century coaching in Turkmenistan and then suddenly arrived in college basketball, he might not have any idea what Gassnola's reputation and track record were within the sport. But that wasn't Self's career path. He was one of the most accomplished recruiters of high-end talent in the sport, which meant immersion in the grassroots culture that elevated Gassnola to a well-compensated fixture."
Forde concluded the article by noting the Jayhawks are "bitterly fighting for their future postseason lives with the NCAA."
DeCourcy's article ended with the possibility KU will face sanctions by the NCAA, with a case in federal court maybe to follow.
"KU believes it has a case here, and it seems likely if it does not perceive justice is done in the NCAA's court, it will pursue a remedy in a court of law," DeCourcy wrote.
