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It was September 2017. Lamont Evans, an Oklahoma State assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, who served as associate head coach from March to September of that year, fell into some major controversy. During his time at South Carolina, he was working with Christian Dawkins, who was building a business and brand for future basketball clients with his sports agency. Well before the NIL deal of 2021, Evans accepted over $18,000 worth of bribes for influencing players to go to different programs. During an FBI sting operation, four schools were found hosting an assistant that was doing something unlawfully.
The NCAA said beginning in August 2015 Evans accepted these bribes from someone associated with a professional sports agent to arrange meetings with a South Carolina athlete and his family to influence them to retain the agent’s services. The NCAA said Evans did not actually arrange the meetings and the athlete did not sign with the agent. Evans accepted his fate and pled guilty in January of 2019. He sentenced to three months in prison, and was threatened possible deportation to his home country of Barbados. Evans was also given a 10-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA. All of this being said, the only infraction that occurred with Evans and OSU was a single player receiving a mere $300 bucks.
What's infuriating about this situation was the punishments to the program. South Carolina received no postseason ban, and didn't lose any of their scholarships. They got a mere slap on the wrist. Two years of probation, self-imposed $5,000 fine, a reduction in unofficial visits, and some shrinkage in telephone recruiting and in person visits by a few weeks.
Oklahoma State didn't get so lucky...
They got hit with a ban for one postseason, which is in effect for this year. They lost three scholarships over the next three years, and received a $10,000 plus and 1% of the program’s budget deducted. Absolutely brutal compared to South Carolina's punishment. They tried to appeal with the NCAA to lighten the punishment, but their appeal was denied this week.
Are we serious? Reading this story and writing it further makes the situation mind boggling. The system is broken, and needs to be revaluated ASAP. South Carolina was the original host, who walked away fairly free. OSU got absolutely snubbed, and it's just flat out awful. The fact that they did not break any of the major five violations and received this punishment is wild.
Areas of institutional control
Failure to monitor
Recruiting
Head coach accountability
Participation of an ineligible athlete or academic fraud.
None of these were found to have occurred with OSU, yet they still receive the death sentence with a postseason ban. They are the first school Just wow... Someone in the NCAA headquarters has a gripe with OSU and it's crystal clear with this sentence. The decision is just upsetting and should be revaluated. I couldn't imagine the players on this team who are being impacted. You can hear the pain Head Coach Mike Boynton's voice. He is blown away by the mark and it is hurting not only him, but the university and athletic program as a whole.
Hopefully the outrage amongst social media will spark a reversal in the decision, but I highly doubt it unfortunately. This is shameful. The NCAA clearly fights battles with themselves. One step forward, two steps back...