LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Nobody believes him, but Josh Heird will tell you that when it comes to predicting when the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Resolution Process will hand down a decision regarding the University of Louisville, he’s in the same place everyone else is.
He’s reading tea leaves. Comparing past findings and the timetables. Extrapolating what little information he comes across.
There is no road map. Nobody has been through this before. You can’t type “how long will this take” into any GPS.
The best Heird could tell a Rotary Club crowd gathered at Joe’s Palm Room in Louisville on Thursday is that, based on the two previous cases handled by the IARP, “if you look at consistency, then I would expect it sooner than later.” But after 5 years, “sooner” might be in the eye of the beholder.
Every NCAA case is different. You can’t compare one with another, because there are always small exceptions. The Katina Powell sex-for-recruits scandal seemed like a straightforward case of extra benefits, until the NCAA committee on infractions decided that it was “repugnant” enough to merit harsh measures.
On his more optimistic days, Heird looks at the IARP’s seeming reluctance to punish present athletes for violations by their schools, and admits, “does that give me a little bit of hope? It does.”
“But does anyone connected with Louisville dare to hope?
“I ask myself that probably every day, is it wishful thinking?” Heird said. “. . . There's no way to tell, you know, the variables in each of the cases are different. I think the one for me is just the repeat offender status. I think that's the glaring difference as you try to compare. But I have no idea. I just want it behind us. I want our program to move forward. I want Kenny (Payne) and his program to be able to move forward, put this behind us and just make sure that we never have to deal with it again.”
This much Heird knows. The men’s basketball program has suffered because of this process – not only because of its own admitted shortcomings, but because of the length of the proceedings. He’s just ready to have it over with.
“It's been five plus years,” he said. “Think about that. Five years, it's hard to believe. And so, whatever the decision is, there will be some relief. . . . I go back to the idea that the one thing that makes college basketball special, and it's the differentiator, it's the tournament. So, until we know exactly what the penalties are, there's going to be people out there saying, ‘Hey, if you go to Louisville, you won't get the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament.’ And that's a deterrent. But once we know what the results are, I absolutely think that it'll be full steam ahead, moving forward with Kenny and the program.”
U of L says it has gotten no advance instruction on how a ruling will come down.
In the two prior cases dispatched by the IARP, Heird said schools found out a ruling was coming when the press release was issued.
In Louisville’s case, multiple former coaches also are involved, so word of an impending decision also could come from them, if they are notified.
“I want to be I want to be realistic and want to make sure that when that decision does come, that we're prepared for it, whatever that may be,” Heird said
Whenever an IARP decision comes, it will be the final say. Louisville entered into an agreement that does not allow for an appeal
The IARP is trying to determine Louisville’s part in the college basketball pay-to-play scandal, in which individuals representing adidas offered money to recruits to attend specific adidas schools, in exchange for agreements to sign with the brand after turning pro.
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