LaBarrie really screwed us. It is noted in the report that strip club visits are totally unacceptable multiple times. LaBarrie also looks really bad. Not sure if this (strip club and visit to club after for free dinner) was his idea or not, but he lied to the investigators, then apparently reached out to the player/host and Lewis about his testimony, testified again and lied/misled again. He had a really bright future, but that is all gone now. I assume he could maybe coach a high school team, but I don't see how he gets a college job any time soon.
The Bell stuff is just horrible. The guy is a nut job. Repeatedly told by Pastner to follow the rules, don't do anything against the rules and then does just that. I credit Pastner for trying to help a guy with major life issues, but you must blame him for allowing that guy around his team.
Since Pastner has been at GT, here are things that have been in the sports news and main stream media:
1. Assistant Coach took a high school kid to a strip club and he was given $300 in cash. (Patrick Ewing is at Georgetown right now smiling and saying "$300 wouldn't even get you in the door at the Gold Club in Atlanta back in the day!!")
2. Assistant Coach lied to the NCAA and tried to get a student athlete to lie to the NCAA
3. A former player we all love who took us to our highest highs gave the coach the money to take the high school kid to the strip club
4. A close "friend" of the head coach...
a) Tried to get a transfer player from Memphis to GT
b) took players to a free dinner at a local steakhouse
c) flew two players to his home in AZ and gave them free stuff
d) alleged violations against Pastner
e) alleged sexual assault against Pastner
f) was put in jail for a prior issue, but still noted as part of the GT story
I like Pastner. He's kind of goofy, but actually a better game coach than I imagined when we hired him. All of the above happened under his watch, so he has to accept at least some, if not all, blame for it. I think recruiting will be extremely difficult the next few years. The best we can hope for is a good season this year, keep the commitment we just got, have a better year next year and go to the tourney. That would generate some excitement and possibly help recruiting and PERHAPS be a life line for Pastner. Recruiting against Georgia Tech will be easy the next few years....."on probation....shady coaches....do you want your son going to a strip club....."
If we have a down year this year and next and can't recruit, I assume he's let go after next year. The buyout would be much lower (correct Red?) and most of the probation restrictions would be over or close to over at that point and MAYBE you can get a good coach. It's going to be a tough few years.
I read the whole 27 page document this morning, it is interesting to read.
GT got hit hard not for the Ron Bell stuff - which was classified as Level II and the penalties were largely to disassociate with the Bell (the suspensions of Okogie and Jackson were related to this as well).
Labarrie's violations are what killed the program. Both of his violations were seen as Level I by the NCAA. Both taking the prospect and his host to a strip club and also lying to the NCAA and GT about his involvement with it.
GT was also hit harder because of previous Level I and Level II violations in its athletics programs. GT was given credit for 3 mitigating factors - prompt acknowledgement and acceptance of the violations, taking steps to remedy it, and a history of self-reporting level II and II violations. But importantly, GT was not given credit for 'exemplary cooperation' as it said GT did not uncover the violations (a failure of its compliance).
The strip club visit really bothered the NCAA committee. It was the actions on that official visit that caused the NCAA to hand down the penalty where GT is not allowed to have any official visits during a home basketball game for the next 2 seasons. Basically all the recruiting penalties were handed down due to what Labarrie did on the official visit and him lying about it afterwards. When he went back for his second interview with the NCAA he claimed he did know about what happened, but said it was Jack's idea. The NCAA did not believe him because of the actions of Jack and the Associate Athletics Director (I think Lewis) don't support that.
The vacation of records was also due to Labarrie. The ineligible athlete was the host who escorted Carter on his OV. By going to the strip club and going to have dinner at the lounge and not pay for it it made him ineligible.
The NCAA did mention that they assigned the label of booster to Bell after he took 2 student-athletes (i'm assuming Okogie and Jackson) out to a dinner at an Atlanta Steakhouse and paid for it. After that all the benefits he provided to them were considered benefits provided by a booster according to the NCAA.
Reading how Bell would operate is sort of insane. The report mentions multiple times that Pastner told him to never give anything to the SA's, that following NCAA rules were important to him. When he would visit campus Bell would leave with Pastner after a game or practice, but then circle back after Pastner had left to meet with SA's. He also specifically told the SA's never to mention to Pastner that he gave them anything.