The NCAA issued a Notice of Allegations to Southern Miss, charging the men's basketball team with seven Level 1 violations committed during former head coach Donnie Tyndall's tenure.
The allegations in the 43-page document included faking academic credit, providing impermissible financial aid, and obstructing the NCAA's investigation, the Associated Press reported. However, the program caught a major break with the NCAA not accusing it of lacking "institutional control."
Instead, the AP noted, the NCAA heavily implicated Tyndall and his staff to have acted without the school's awareness. Tyndall coached the South Miss men's basketball team from 2012 to 2014 before leaving and coaching at Tennessee last season. Tennessee fired Tyndall when the Southern Miss allegations became public.
Dave Hart, Tennessee's athletic director, informed Tyndall upon hiring him that such allegations from the NCAA were "likely" and therefore voided any future salary owed the coach in a regular termination., the AP learned. Tennessee did not comment on the matter.
"The University understands the serious nature of the allegations and has worked collaboratively with the NCAA in reviewing this matter since last fall. We will continue to fully cooperate with the NCAA through the remainder of the administrative process, which we do not expect to conclude before Spring 2016," Southern Miss said in a statement. "We are pleased that this phase of the review is complete and look forward to our men's basketball program continuing to move in a positive direction. Inasmuch as this is an ongoing process, we are not able to provide additional information or comment further at this time. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we look forward to a conclusion to this matter."
