USC Men's Basketball Program Receives Notice of Allegations From NCAA

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The USC men's basketball team has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA, the school announced in a statement Friday. 

“USC has received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA related to a former coach in the men’s basketball program,” the school said. “USC has cooperated with the NCAA since it first became aware of the issues raised in the Notice of Allegations. Because the notice involves a pending NCAA case, USC is unable to discuss any of the allegations in or facts relating to the case. USC looks forward to an expeditious resolution of this matter.”

The former coach presumably referenced is one-time assistant Tony Bland. Bland, fired by USC in January 2018, was sentenced in June to two years probation and 100 hours community service for his involvement in the college basketball corruption scandal. The first of four former coaches charged with crimes in the FBI investigation, Bland will not serve jail time.

The sentencing came after Bland pleaded guilty in January to a felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery as part of a deal with prosecutors, admitting that he accepted $4,100 in cash–the least of the implicated coaches–to direct Trojans' players to use Christian Dawkins's sports management company after college. Dawkins was sentenced to six months in prison by a federal judge in March.

Bland was the first assistant coach arrested by the FBI in the investigation to be sentenced.

USC is the fourth Division I program to receive an NCAA notice of allegations related to the federal investigation, joining Kansas, NC State and Oklahoma State.

Friday’s statement fails to provide a timeline for any kind of resolution with the NCAA investigation.