NCAA Replies to Kansas's Response to NCAA Notice of Allegations

The NCAA case centers around Bill Self and the Kansas basketball program's involvement in the FBI college basketball probe.

Kansas released the NCAA's 92-page reply to its response regarding potential violations in its men's basketball program on Thursday.

In its reply, the NCAA said, "Regarding the men's basketball allegations, very few facts are in dispute."

It added: "However, where the parties diverge from the NCAA enforcement staff is on the key issue of responsibility. The institution, [coach Bill] Self and [assistant coach Kurtis] Townsend have accepted no responsibility for this conduct."

Kansas issued a statement calling the league's allegations "simply baseless and littered with false representations" and said its staff "would accept responsibility if it believed that violations had occurred."

"The NCAA enforcement staff's reply does not in any way change the University of Kansas' position that the allegations brought against our men's basketball program are simply baseless and littered with false representations. As the federal trial proved, Adidas employees intentionally concealed impermissible payments from the University and its coaching staff. The University has never denied these impermissible payments were made. For the NCAA enforcement staff to allege that the University should be held responsible for these payments is a distortion of the facts and a gross misapplication of NCAA Bylaws and case precedent. In addition, the enforcement staff's assertion that KU refuses to accept responsibility is wrong. The University absolutely would accept responsibility if it believed that violations had occurred, as we have demonstrated with other self-reported infractions. Chancellor Girod, Jeff Long and KU stand firmly behind Coach Self, his staff and our men's basketball program, as well as our robust compliance program."

The NCAA delivered its reply to Kansas on Wednesday, which should allow the league to set a date for an infractions committee hearing. The case could possibly be completed by the beginning of the 2020–21 season. 

Kansas issued a formal response to its Notice of Allegations on March 5. The Jayhawks are accused of committing significant violations within both their men's basketball and football programs, charges that were forcefully denied by the university.

"There is no reasonable conclusion that members of the university, including the men's basketball staff, knew or should have known about any violations of NCAA rules,” Kansas's response said. “[Head coach Bill] Self had no knowledge of any NCAA rules violations or illicit conduct exhibited by Adidas, its employees or its consultants. ... Voluminous evidence demonstrates incontestably that Coach Self did, in fact, promote an atmosphere of compliance.”

Kansas also claimed several facts involving the men's basketball program are in dispute, including charges that it lacked institutional control and Self and his assistant, Kurtis Townsend, had committed a series of high-level violations.

The NCAA issued its original allegations in September 2019. A Level 1 allegation was issued regarding the basketball program, while the football program received notice of two lesser violations.

Kansas has been prominently featured in an NCAA probe regarding a pay-for-play scandal with Adidas. Arizona, Auburn, Louisville and LSU have also been a subject of NCAA investigations in relation to the scandal with Adidas.