When the University of Indianapolis, one of the top NCAA Division II swimming & diving programs in the country, fired head coach Jason Hite in December 2021, the school’s Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Young told student-athletes that the termination was the result of NCAA violations that were reported to his office on December 15. In that latter, Young said that the school self-reported the violations, and on Tuesday, the NCAA released its decision in the case.
The NCAA Division II Committee on Infractions concluded that “a former University of Indianapolis swimming and diving head coach violated ethical conduct rules when he arranged for a student-athlete to be paid for lifeguarding work that he did not perform…Because the student-athlete was paid for work he did not do, the payments were impermissible benefits and the student-athlete went on to compete while ineligible.”
While the coach and student-athlete were not named in the case, Hite is the coach being referenced in the official decision document.
The school, Hite, and the school’s enforcement staff all agreed that the violation occurred, “when the former head coach wanted to increase the scholarship value for a student-athlete but did not have enough scholarship funds available, so he arranged for the student-athlete to be hired as a lifeguard and compensated for approximately 20 hours of work per week without performing that work.”
The NCAA says that the student-athlete initially expressed concern over the arrangement before being assured by Hite that the arrangement was permissible. The student-athlete then submitted time sheets every two weeks, and Hite approved those time sheets. The result was nearly $2,700 in impermissible benefits for the student-athlete, who competed in six dates of competition while ineligible.
The institution began its inquiry on December 15, 2021, two days before Hite was terminated. They then self-reported the violations and sought restoration of the student-athlete’s eligibility on December 20, 2021.
In February 2022, the enforcement staff began a joint inquiry into the situation with the institution. The head coach and the student-athlete were both interviewed, and a review of the school’s records regarding student-athlete employment was conducted.
The NCAA says that Hite compounded the situation when he “violated ethical conduct rules and failed to cooperate when, after his separation from the school, he initially knowingly provided false or misleading information to the enforcement staff about his involvement in the arrangement. [Hite] subsequently acknowledged his involvement.”
The case was resolve via the NCAA’s negotiated resolution process, which is a relatively-new procedure that allows the NCAA and implicated parties to resolve these matters quickly without a formal hearing. The school, Hite, and the NCAA all agreed on the violations and the penalties.
Penalties Assessed
- One year of probation.
- A $2,500 fine.
- A reduction in men’s swimming and diving scholarships during the 2023-24 academic year by 0.04 from the school’s four-year average of aid in that sport.
- A four-year show-cause order for the former head coach. During the first three years of the show-cause order, any employing member institution shall restrict the former head coach from any athletically related position. If the former head coach becomes employed during the fourth year of his show-cause order, the NCAA member school employing must:
- Prohibit the former head coach from supervising any student-athlete employment at the school.
- Suspend the former head coach from the first six dates of competition in the first season of his employment during that show-cause order.
- A vacation of all records in which the student-athlete competed while ineligible. The university must provide a written report containing the contests impacted to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 14 days of the public release of the decision.
In spite of Hite’s termination, UIndy had a successful conclusion to the 2021-2022 season under interim head coach Brent Noble. The UIndy women finished a program-best 2nd place at the NCAA Division II Championships, while the men finished 3rd. The Greyhounds amassed 94 combined All-America honors, won 4 NCAA event championships, and broke 11 school records.
Noble was given the head coaching job on a full-time basis in April 2022, and the program is currently preparing for next weekend’s NCAA Division II National Championship meet in their home city in Indianapolis.
Landon Driggers seems to have disappeared around that time….
Also, a reduction on .04 scholarships is hilarious.
I didn’t do the math, but I assume that’s the equivalent to the $2,698 they paid the athlete.
Driggers’s timeline does not align with this situation.
I did the math. That’s what .04 is (approximately).
Touché sir.
Driggers left after his freshman year bc despite (and this may sound unlikely) Jason supporting Landon continuously and going out of his way and above and beyond to do so throughout his time in Indy, he thought it wasnt enough for him
Let’s further hurt our athletes by REDUCING FUTURE SCHOLARSHIPS so athletes who aren’t even involved are impacted! Way to show everyone who’s boss. Financially punishing children who had nothing to do with it is not the way to fix the problem.
NCAA: Not Caring About Athletes.
Well that’s one way to get a roster of 50 guys and 36 girls.