Pitt’s athletic program has been placed on three years’ probation, and both the football and men’s basketball teams were given penalties for rules violations and cover-ups between August 2015 and March 2018.
Oh no! Does that mean the legendary 7-7 football team that went to the ACC Championship Game has to vacate its esteemed ACC Coastal Division championship?!
No? Phew! Anything but that.
TribLIVE Panthers beat writer Jerry DiPaola joins me for Friday’s podcast to tell us what happened.
Apparently, during the Kevin Stallings era, the Panthers were using noncoaching personnel to augment practice instruction.
In other words, people who weren’t listed as coaches were allegedly coaching players. And that’s not allowed.
So Stallings needed extra coaches to go 0-18 in conference play? My god, what would’ve happened if they used the regular amount? Would they have gone 0-32 overall?
Via DiPaola’s story, the NCAA reports that Stallings believed administrators had become suspicious. So he instituted an alert system for when an administrator would approach the practice gym. A team manager, positioned outside the door, sent a warning text message to another manager, who sounded a buzzer.
Who were the team managers? Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve?
The football team was charged for something similar. Head coach Pat Narduzzi was accused of using three then-quality-control staff members in coaching activities not permitted by the NCAA. Those activities included holding play cards for scout team members, helping the offensive line coach and playing catch with players during practice.
The football team apparently played loud music to alert those practicing that an administrator may be approaching.
What song do you think the football team played as an alert? “The Jig is Up” from Kendrick Lamar? “Run to the Hills” from Iron Maiden? “Here Comes Trouble” from Chronixx?
Doesn’t anybody just bang a trash can anymore? I hear that works.
Click the link below for the podcast. DiPaola tells us how Pitt got in trouble, the extent to which Stallings went to try to cover up its violations and the slap-on-the-wrist penalties that Pitt is receiving as a result.
LISTEN: Tim Benz, Jerry DiPaola break down Pitt’s athletics violations
