Kansas’s Bill Self Says Reputation Has Been ‘Tarnished’ by NCAA Investigation

The longtime coach shared his thoughts on the lingering impact of the lengthy probe.

Despite avoiding serious penalties following a lengthy NCAA investigation, Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self says he believes the high-profile probe will still greatly impact him and his career going forward.

Self, who’s entering his 21st season, and Kansas are still reeling from the NCAA’s decision on Oct. 11 to downgrade the numerous Level I allegations facing the program over claims that Adidas, its apparel sponsor, paid recruits.

Speaking during Big 12 media day in Kansas City, Self, a two-time national champion and coach of the year, offered a candid take about his reputation in light of the investigation.

“I think my reputation has been tarnished immensely,” Self told ESPN on Wednesday. “But the whole thing is we knew right from the jump what we had done and what we had not done. The bottom line is I’m proud of how we conducted our business. At the end of the day, it was a long blip, but it was still a blip in the big scheme of things.”

Beginning back in 2019, the NCAA’s probe resulted in multiple Level I violations for Kansas, including a lack of institutional control charge and Self being accused of head coach responsibility violations. Additionally, Kansas suspended Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend for the first four games of the 2022–23 season and handed both recruiting restrictions for their involvement.

With the dark times now behind KU, Self, in spite of the negative effects of what transpired, also shared his optimism for the road ahead as he and the Jayhawks look to get back on track.

“I think it’s been so frustrating because we haven’t been able to speak out or speak up or to have comment or even defend ourselves in many ways,” said Self, per ESPN. “But looking back now? Frustrating, taxing, a lot of different things. But [I'm] so glad that it’s behind us. 

“That’s a lot of stress to put on a lot of people for that many years. Of course, the narrative wasn’t exactly what the end result ended up being. And certainly, the end result is exactly what we expected all along.”

The No. 4 team in the nation a year ago, Kansas will begin the ’23–’24 season as AP’s preseason No. 1 after landing star Michigan transfer, forward Hunter Dickinson.