Raiders coach punished by NCAA for Arizona State recruiting violations
The NCAA penalized Raiders coach Antonio Pierce on Thursday for recruiting infractions he committed while an assistant coach at Arizona State.
Pierce has been given an eight-year show cause for the violations, which occurred during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period in 2020-21. That means if Pierce becomes a college coach again in the next eight years, he will be suspended for all athletic activities for one full year.
In addition, former Arizona State staffer Anthony Garnett was given a four-year show cause for his role in the infractions.
Pierce was the Sun Devils’ defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at the time the violations were committed. In the NCAA’s statement on Thursday, a Division I Committee on Infractions panel said Pierce was a central part of a scheme in which he, other members of the football staff and an unnamed booster “arranged unofficial visits to the school for roughly one year during the COVID-19 dead period.”
The report alleged that during those visits, which occurred over 15 weekends, Arizona State staff members hosted a tryout, gave football facility tours and provided entertainment to 35 prospects and their families. Pierce arranged for or personally provided free meals, apparel, transportation and/or lodging for 27 of those prospects. He often had help from the booster, who was the parent of a then-football player.
This violated dead period rules. The meals, travel expenses and entertainment — which “included taking a prospect’s parents to a gentleman’s club,” according to the report — also were impermissible recruiting inducements.
Eight of the prospects enrolled at Arizona State. They played in 19 games.
Pierce also used his position of authority to “pressure staff members into engaging in violations, often by instilling fear that they would lose their jobs if they did not follow his orders,” the report said.
He told an assistant coach to text and call a student-athlete that was enrolled at another school and was not in the transfer portal. The report said the assistant coach sent the player at least 46 text messages and called him at least once.
This is a developing story. Ch
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
