Arizona State President Says Herm Edwards Was ‘Not Part’ of Alleged NCAA Recruiting Violations

The Sun Devils are being investigated by the NCAA for allegedly hosting recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period.

During an appearance on 98.7 Arizona Sports on Wednesday, Arizona State president Michael Crow said coach Herm Edwards was not a “part of” the program's alleged recruiting violations that the NCAA is investigating. For this reason, Edwards remains the coach for the Sun Devils. 

“In all of these things where you have people who decide not to play by the rules, those people are gone,” Crow said, per The Arizona Republic. “Coach Edwards is responsible for all of the actions of his people but these are not things that he asked them to do. These are not things that he was a part of so we're looking at everything possible. He's brought a lot of talent and a lot of energy and a lot of creativity and now we're dealing with people that couldn't play by the rules and now they are gone.”

Crow is referring to the departure of five assistants and at least one other staff member since the investigation began, according to The Athletic. The program allegedly hosted recruits on campus during an NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period, and is being probed for other infractions as well. 

Edwards has been the face of the alleged scandal, leading people to wonder why he's still the Arizona State coach. The Athletic's Doug Haller reports that although Edwards didn't know every detail of alleged recruiting violations taking place, he was aware that recruits visited during the non-contact recruiting period. The investigation is still active and Arizona State could still face Level I violations from the NCAA. 

Since joining Arizona State at the end of the 2017 season, Edwards has a 25–18 record. The Sun Devils finished 8–5 in 2021. 

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