Memphis Acknowledges Letter Alleging Widespread Potential NCAA Violations in Men’s Basketball Program

Head coach Penny Hardaway is purported to have personal involvement in the accusations of illegal player recruitment and academic violations.

Memphis head coach Penny Hardaway fired four of his staff members Wednesday. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Against a backdrop of staff upheaval within the men’s basketball program, a University of Memphis official acknowledged the existence of an anonymous letter alleging widespread potential rules violations in the program and said the letter has been passed along to the NCAA.

“The University of Memphis is aware of the anonymous letter and it has been turned over to the NCAA,” university spokeswoman Michele Ehrhart said in an email to Sports Illustrated on Wednesday. “That is all we can say on the matter.”

Earlier Wednesday, Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway announced the firing of four members of his staff: assistants Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips and Jamie Rosser, as well as special adviser Demetrius Dyson. No reasons were given by the school for their dismissal. It is unclear if the firings are related to the letter, which was obtained by Sports Illustrated.

The letter alleges Hardaway’s personal involvement in what could be major violations in the recruitment of a player who came to Memphis and a second prospect who did not enroll at the school. The letter claims those violations occurred in 2020 and ’22. It also alleges academic violations occurred in the ’23–24 school year. The allegations in the letter have not been independently substantiated.

Hardaway’s program previously was under investigation for alleged impermissible recruiting of James Wiseman and other prospects in 2019. Wiseman played just three games in a Memphis uniform. He was subject to a 12-game suspension for accepting impermissible benefits, but left the school before the suspension was finished and turned professional. A hearing panel for the NCAA’s now-shuttered Independent Accountability Resolution Process concluded Hardaway didn’t violate NCAA rules because of his long-standing philanthropy in Memphis, but the school was fined and placed on a three-year probation that ends in September 2025.

Hardaway was suspended for the first three games of last season due to recruiting violations tied to two in-home visits in 2021 involving a recruit from the graduating class of ’23.

One player on Memphis’s team last season, senior Malcolm Dandridge, missed the final five games of the season while the school conducted an investigation of his eligibility.

The offseason has been rife with other turnover at Memphis in addition to what was announced Wednesday. The Commercial-Appeal reported that five other staff members have departed since the end of the 2023–24 season, and the team has just one returning scholarship player.

Memphis athletic director Ed Scott also is a new arrival, having just officially started in that position July 22.

Staff writer Kevin Sweeney contributed to this report.