Lane Kiffin Is Primary Target Of NCAA Investigation Into Tennessee Football

As speculated everywhere yesterday, the University of Tennessee has received the long-awaited report from the NCAA’s Committee On Infractions, concerning allegations of recruiting improprieties by the Volunteer football program under Lane Kiffin (as well as the basketball program under Bruce Pearl). The school released the documents Wednesday morning. You can read the full notice of allegations from the NCAA, as well as statements of response from the Tennessee chancellor and athletic director, at the above link, but here’s the pertinent part.

The notice contains the following allegations of violation of NCAA rules against the football program:
• By former members of the football coaching staff: impermissible telephone contact (16 total calls) with prospective student-athletes from Jan. 3-9, 2010.
• By a former assistant football coach: allegations relating to impermissible contacts with prospective student-athletes.
• By a former head football coach: failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance within the football program and failure to monitor the activities regarding compliance of several assistant coaches have also been made against a former head football coach, and permitting a football recruiting intern to make impermissible contact with high school staff during a recruiting visit.

Boy howdy, that’s a lot of “former” coaches. And now for the technicalities: The university has 90 days to respond to the NCAA’s notice; if they take the full time to do so, they’ll likely end up in front of the COI for the committee’s June meetings in Indianapolis. For more on Tennessee’s latest ill-conceived brush with justice, visit SB Nation’s Rocky Top Talk.