The NCAA announced Friday that it has reached an agreement with Kentucky on appropriate penalties stemming from Level II violations that occurred within the football program. At issue is the fact that at least 11 football players received impermissible benefits for work not performed between spring 2021 and March 2022.
Eight of those players went on to compete while ineligible. The NCAA’s investigation did not support findings of failure to monitor within the football program.
“The enforcement staff and school agreed that no staff member in the athletics department knew or reasonably should have known about the payment for work not performed, and thus the violations involving the football program did not provide additional support for the agreed-upon failure-to-monitor violation.” The NCAA’s statement reads.
As a result of the agreed-upon resolution, Kentucky faces two years of probation and a fine. It must also vacate records of any wins that the ineligible players participated in.
Kentucky’s vacated wins will likely come from the 2021 and 2022 seasons given the timeline of violations noted in the NCAA’s announcement. Kentucky posted a 17-9 record in that span. Ten of those wins came during a 2021 campaign in which the Wildcats won the Citrus Bowl and finished the year ranked 18th in the AP Top 25.
