The NCAA is imposing agreed-upon violations on the University of Kentucky football and swimming programs. Kentucky reported the alleged misdoings itself, which are said to revolve around “impermissible benefits” and “countable athletically related activities,” respectively, per the NCAA.
At least 11 football players are said to have collected payment for hours they did not work at the school's hospital, UK HealthCare, from spring of 2021 to March of 2022, according to Jon Hale of the Lexington Herald-Leader. Inaccurate time cards are the crux of the issue. The Wildcats will vacate games it played while being ineligible and incur two years of probation.
Longtime Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has confirmed in the past that multiple players were suspended because of an investigation but did not specifically mention any details. The athletes involved in this investigation claimed they were advised by the hospital to leave after clocking in for their posts in the patient transport department. UK HealthCare's transfer center director was accused of facilitating the violation and was suspended with pay back in April of 2022. She denied any wrongdoing.
The NCAA determined that Stoops and members of the Kentucky football staff had no knowledge of the infractions and therefore will not face individual punishment. That might not apply to the men's and women's swimming teams, however.
Wildcats' swimming team infractions
In a separate case from the football program's infringement, athletes are said to have not been given required days off and were instead exceeding practice sessions by almost three hours. Ex-head coach Lars Jorgensen, who resigned last summer amid an investigation into possible rules violations, could still potentially face disciplinary action.
In April, two former members of Kentucky's swimming and diving team filed a lawsuit against him, the university, athletic director Mitch Barnhart and Jorgensen's predecessor Gary Conelly in which they accuse Jorgensen of rape and sexual assault, per The Courier-Journal's Ryan Black. The coach was previously suspended for six days in 2019 for reportedly failing to report sexual harassment claims made against someone on his staff. Jorgensen denies the lawsuit's allegations.
Kentucky's compliance definitely helps, but people will have strong opinions on the agreed-upon violations regardless.
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