The NCAA has outlined serious violations committed at Southern Mississippi, finding multiple violations in the men’s basketball program during former coach Donnie Tyndall’s tenure.
The charges, which include arranging fraudulent academic credit, impermissible financial aid and obstructing the governing body’s investigation, were outlined in a notice of allegations released by the university Friday.
There were seven alleged Level I violations — which are judged the most serious by the NCAA — in the 43-page notice. The NCAA notably did not include the dreaded lack of institutional control charge, instead placing most of the blame on Tyndall and his staff during their two-year tenure.
Tyndall, 45, went 56-17 at Southern Miss, advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament in both seasons.
Southern Miss released a response to the notice Friday, saying it “understands the serious nature of the allegations” and would continue to work with the NCAA. The school has 90 days to respond to the NCAA’s notice.
Tyndall said in a statement he “did not knowingly violate NCAA rules, nor did I encourage or condone rules violations by anyone on the coaching staff” and that he cooperated with the NCAA’s review.
Tyndall left Southern Miss to coach at Tennessee in 2014, though his stint with the Volunteers was also short-lived.
Southern Miss revealed it was under investigation in November, about a week before Tyndall’s first game with the Volunteers. Tyndall went 16-16 in his only season at Tennessee before being fired March 27 for reasons related to the NCAA’s investigation.
The allegations levied by the NCAA against Southern Miss and Tyndall were meticulously detailed in the notice. They included:
• Basketball staff members completed junior college coursework for seven prospective players, including five who eventually enrolled at the university.
• Tyndall provided a player about $6,000 in cash and prepaid cards and another player with about $2,000 to help pay for living expenses associated with the school’s tuition and room and board.
• Tyndall deleted emails pertinent to the NCAA’s investigation and contacted individuals in an effort to get them to give the governing body false information.