LAS Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has been hit with major sanctions from the NCAA.
Pierce formerly served as an assistant coach at Arizona State, where he was found to have violated recruiting restrictions.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has been handed a massive ban[/caption]
The NCAA has given Pierce a ban for violating recruiting restrictions at Arizona State[/caption]
The NCAA found Pierce to have orchestrated a “scheme” to circumvent restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pierce had recruiting contact with 35 prospects that included “tryouts, football facility tours and entertainment.”
The NCAA also detailed that Pierce directed an assistant to tamper with a player that was already enrolled at another school.
That assistant also traveled out of the state to meet with prospects during a recruiting dead period.
“In arriving at an eight-year show-cause order for Pierce, the panel emphasized his role as the ringleader in orchestrating the recruiting violations,” the report from the NCAA said.
Among the violations were no-cost accommodations and other offerings including trips to bowling alleys and arcades.
Some recruits were given free meals, a chauffer, and special tours of the Arizona State football facilities.
On one occasion, Pierce had staff drive a van to a strip club, despite one female staffer being against the idea. That staffer was told to serve as the designated driver.
“Just get in the van and drive,” she was told, according to the investigation.
Pierce, an assistant, and a prospect’s parents attended the club that night.
The NCAA investigation found that Pierce wasn’t afraid of any punishments because of his personal fortune, but he was later named in his wife’s bankruptcy case. Pierce allegedly invested in car dealerships that defaulted on $28 million in loans.
“Pierce knowingly and blatantly disregarded fundamental dead period legislation to orchestrate the majority of violations in this case,” the NCAA report said.
“Pierce’s defiance of and indifference to NCAA rules was, in part, motivated by his observation that he needed to maintain an aggressive recruiting presence in order to compete with what he believed other institutions were doing during the dead period.
“Similarly, according to one staff member, Pierce did not fear the potential consequences for NCAA violations due to the financial security provided by his self-proclaimed wealth.
“In his role, Pierce had primary control of the football program’s roster and oversight of coaching staff members’ recruiting activities. Pierce used his position of authority to pressure staff members into engaging in violations, often by instilling fear that they would lose their jobs if they did not follow his orders.”
College football top 25 rankings
BELOW are the top 25 rankings of college football’s best programs after Week 5
- Alabama (4-0)
- Texas (5-0)
- Ohio State (4-0)
- Tennessee (4-0)
- Georgia (3-1)
- Oregon (4-0)
- Penn State (4-0)
- Miami (5-0)
- Missouri (4-0)
- Michigan (4-1)
- USC (3-1)
- Ole Miss (4-1)
- LSU (4-1)
- Notre Dame (4-1)
- Clemson (3-1)
- Iowa State (4-0)
- BYU (5-0)
- Utah (4-1)
- Oklahoma (4-1)
- Kansas State (4-1)
- Boise State (3-1)
- Louisville (3-1)
- Indiana (5-0)
- Illinois (4-1)
- UNLV (4-0)
If Pierce were to return to coaching in the NCAA during the show-cause order, which runs until October. 2, 2032, he would be suspended for the first season.
Pierce wouldn’t be allowed contact with any of the team’s coaching staff during that period.
Arizona State is currently in a four-year probation period, and was handed a fine in 2022 from the recruiting violations.
Four other employees also received show-cause penalties of 3-10 years from the NCAA.
The U.S. Sun reached out to the Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona State for comment. They did not respond by the time of publication.
Pierce served as an assistant coach at Arizona State during the COVID pandemic[/caption]
