The Cal men’s basketball team was placed on two years probation on Friday for making over 300 impermissible phone calls. Having already reported the majority of the violations and self-imposed sanctions, the Bears were issued only minimal penalties by the NCAA.
“Cal self-reported this violation and they caught it,” said Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Commissioner Dennis Thomas, who is also the chairman of the NCAA infractions committee. “That’s a good thing. When they caught it, then they took the appropriate action of investigating it and determining what violations had occurred.”
Thomas and the committee decided on minor punishments because they determined that the majority of the infractions were due to neglect as opposed to intentional circumvention of the rules. One Cal assistant was ruled to have made 212 impermissible calls while another made 107.
In December, Montgomery and other members of the athletic department met with the NCAA infractions board in Indiana to discuss the matter that prompted the sanctions. A former chair of the NABC Ethics Committee, Montgomery has an exceptional reputation in the NCAA.
Much of the speculation has been directed at Cal assistant Jay John, who acknowledged that the rules and regulations may have changed from when he was last an assistant coach in 2002. The longtime coach joined Montgomery in Berkeley in 2008 after coaching Oregon State for over five seasons.
Thomas mentioned that the inadmissible phone calls resulted from improper logging. The Bears would have likely avoided both the self-imposed sanctions and the additional penalties by the NCAA if the majority of these calls were correctly registered.
Phone call regulations have changed since former Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson was found guilty in 2006 of making 577 inadmissible phone calls. The case was perceived more as an intentional circumvention and resulted in harsher penalties than those imposed on Cal.
“I believe deeply in following NCAA rules and have always promoted an atmosphere of compliance within our program,” Montgomery said. “It is gratifying to know that during our NCAA hearing in Indianapolis that there was agreement among all parties that these violations were unintentional.
“However, that does not excuse them, and we need to remain diligent in our efforts to remain compliant. We strive to maintain a very high standard and take this situation very seriously.”
Athletic director Sandy Barbour reiterated her support for Montgomery and his staff and does not believe that probation will be a problem for the future.
“When Mike Montgomery joined our program in April 2008, we knew we were hiring a coach known for his integrity who cares deeply about this student-athletes’ college experience,” Barbour said.
“He expects the same ethical behavior from every member of his staff. The manner in which Coach Montgomery and his assistant coaches have responded to and engaged in this process has only confirmed our initial beliefs.”
The additional penalties handed down by the NCAA were a limit of five official visits for the next two academic years as well as well as public reprimand and censure. None of the violating assistants were named in the press conference.
Cal’s probation will last until Feb. 24, 2013.