NCAA places Memphis basketball, softball on probation

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The NCAA has placed the University of Memphis athletic department on probation for two years and levied financial penalites because of academic integrity violations in the men’s basketball and softball programs.

An NCAA investigation found that an academic counselor paid two softball players to do classwork and provide test answers for a men’s basketball player that they shared classes with during the 2023-24 season.

Memphis already was on probation because of two previous infractions cases and will have the penalty extended through July 15, 2027. In addition, the university must pay a $30,000 fine and 1 percent of the combined budgets for the two sports.

The Tigers basketball team vacated three wins over Wichita State, Temple and Tulane from the span between Jan. 25 and Feb. 18, 2024. The softball team was winless during that period.

The NCAA report did not name basketball coach Penny Hardaway in the case, nor did it identify the student-athletes involved. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that the men’s player was forward Malcolm Dandridge, a fifth-year graduate student who was held out of the last five games of the 2023-24 season, and the softball players were catcher Ally Callahan and outfielder Aaliyah Dixon.

The university fired academic advisor Leslie Brooks in February 2024, and the NCAA gave her a 10-year show-cause penalty, which can impact her ability to find another job in college athletes. The NCAA said Brooks paid the softball players $550 from her personal account to perform the schoolwork.

A softball trainer overheard players on the team discussing the situation, according to the NCAA, and another softball player later reported it to the trainer and the head coach, who informed the administration.

In an interview with university officials about paying the softball players to help Dandridge, Brooks admitted that she knew she was violating NCAA rules but he needed academic help and “she felt sorry for him,” according to the NCAA report.

The university negotiated the penalties with the NCAA’s committee on infractions.

“I would like to thank our staff who worked swiftly and collaboratively with the NCAA to take appropriate action and implement corrective measures,” Memphis president Bill Hardgrave said in a prepared statement. “The University of Memphis is committed to a culture of compliance with all NCAA rules and will move our program forward accordingly.”

–Field Level Media