Kentucky agrees to probation, vacates all 2021 football wins for NCAA violations

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In a decision that harkens back to the NCAA’s days of staunch amateurism enforcement, the University of Kentucky football program has agreed to place its football program on two years’ probation and vacate all 10 of its victories from the 2021 season after determining that 11 of its players received impermissible benefits.

UK self-reported the violations in September 2022 and held two players out of competition — star running back Chris Rodriguez and linebacker Jordan Wright — at the start of its 2022 season for what was then termed an undisclosed off-the-field issue. Both players played every game in 2021.

A news release Friday morning from the NCAA said at least 11 Kentucky players received payment for work not performed at UK HealthCare between spring 2021 and March 2022. Eight of them went on to compete and receive expenses while ineligible.

The penalties for the Level 2 violations (the less serious of the NCAA’s tiered structure for significant violations) include a fine to be paid by the university and the loss of all 10 victories from 2021, including the Citrus Bowl win over Iowa, plus two years’ probation.

"Once UK became aware of the issues, we rigorously investigated, reported the violations to the NCAA and imposed sanctions of our own," UK president Eli Capilouto said in a statement relased on Friday. "Much of that has been previously communicated and reported. Today’s announcement by the NCAA represents a final determination and levying of sanctions with respect to the UK Athletics program. . . . We respect the findings. There is a process. We participated in it. We accept the final resolution, and we are moving forward."

Capilouto added that the NCAA "affirms the rigor of our rules compliance and reporting systems within athletics with respect to the football program."

Today, of course, players are permitted to be paid for their name, image and likeness. And if a court settlement is approved, universities may be permitted to pay players directly.

In 2021, however, that was not the law of the land. The agreed-upon settlement also will vacate the statistics of the players in question, including the 3,644 rushing yards, that rank sixth in school history for Rodriguez.

No players were identified in the report issued by the NCAA or UK.

"Our compliance office uncovered both of these violations and worked through over the last three years, trying to find a way through to (the) solution, resolution which we have now received," Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart said. "So, we are thankful that the process has come to a close and we're ready to move forward. This has been a long process, but I'm thankful for the people in our department that have worked hard to bring it to a conclusion. I do not want what we're announcing today to diminish the efforts of what young people have accomplished in our program over the last two decades."

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who spoke at the school’s media day earlier Friday morning, has not addressed the NCAA probation that was released in the afternoon.

Today's NCAA announcement also included probation for the school's swimming program, which the school determined had committed violations regarding practice hours under the tenure of departed coach Lars Jorgensen. The coach and the school also are the subjects of a Federal Title IX lawsuit brought by former players and assistant coaches alleging sexual abuse by the coach and inaction by the university. Those matters were not connected to these NCAA findings.

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