Indiana hits Sampson with sanctions

By Staff     Oct 15, 2007

? Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson will not receive a $500,000 raise and his team will lose one scholarship for next season after violating NCAA-imposed sanctions on phone calls.

The school’s action was the second time in 17 months Sampson has been penalized for improper phone calls. The NCAA banned him from off-campus recruiting for one year in May 2006 when it was ruled Sampson made 577 impermissible calls from 2000 to 2004 while at Oklahoma. As part of the penalty, Sampson was also banned from participating in three-way calls.

School officials said that while NCAA rules allow coaches to use three-way calling, the internal investigation showed Sampson violated the punishment assessed by the NCAA.

Sampson on Sunday said he unknowingly participated in nine of 10 three-way calls a review found he was involved in during the 12-month period he had been sanctioned.

“It’s very disappointing,” Sampson said. “We’ve been dealing with sanctions from May 25 to May 25, and when it was over, we were confident that we had followed all of the rules other than one call. I was not aware the three-way calls were three-way calls other than one.”

Sampson said the call he was aware of was to clear up questions from a recruit who had already committed to making an on-campus visit.

One report from the investigation, which AD Rick Greenspan said began in July, already has been handed to the NCAA’s infractions committee. A second, describing secondary violations for undocumented calls from the homes of assistant coaches, is expected to be forwarded to the NCAA soon.

Greenspan said assistant coach Rob Senderoff, who Sampson said was responsible for patching through the three-way calls and who school officials determined made the majority of the improper calls, also will be penalized. Senderoff will not receive a bonus or salary increase and will not be allowed to recruit off-campus or make any calls through next July.

“I am profoundly disappointed we are dealing with this matter as is coach Sampson,” Greenspan said. “We hope these sanctions send a strong message.”

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