KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — People familiar with the situation say the NCAA is hitting former Tennessee men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl with a multiyear show-cause penalty, but the Volunteers program will not face additional sanctions beyond what it self-imposed in response to charges of 12 major violations.
The show-cause penalty means any school wanting to hire him must go before the NCAA to explain why and could face penalties.
Pearl’s three assistants were hit with one-year show-cause penalties, a person told The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the school had not announced the NCAA’s decision.
The Vols football and basketball programs were accused of major recruiting violations, and Pearl acknowledged last September he lied to NCAA investigators during an interview.
Tennessee docked Pearl’s and his staff’s salaries and limited their recruiting before firing them in March. Tennessee imposed a two-year probation on itself and additional recruiting restrictions on the basketball and football programs.
