NCAA Places Notre Dame Football On Probation

The NCAA has placed Notre Dame football on one-year probation and added additional penalties for recruiting contact violations.

Here is a rundown of the penalties, take directly from the NCAA site:

*** One year probation

*** $5,000 fine

*** A six-month show-cause order for the former assistant coach, including a one-game suspension at any employing member school

*** Reduced football official visits for the 2020-21 academic year by one

*** Reduced football unofficial visits by 14 days for the 2020-21 academic year

*** A seven-day off-campus recruiting ban for the entire football staff during the 2020-21 academic year

*** The university ended the recruitment of the prospect

*** The university will not recruit any prospects from the high school in Seattle from the 2019-2020 through 2021-22 academic years.

According the NCAA, these penalties involve illegal in-person contact that a former coach had with a prospect who was apparently from Seattle. There were also 10 text messages that were made with another prospect that violated NCAA rules.

Head coach Brian Kelly also was given a slap on the wrist for posing for a photo with a prospect while on campus, which is a Level III violation. This is an incredibly petty rule, and the NCAA also stated that Kelly initially declined to pose for the photo.

In a statement to The Athletic, Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick had this to say:

"Any violation of NCAA rules is unacceptable and Notre Dame Athletics takes full responsibility for its actions in this regard. While we made clear to the NCAA our view that the agreed-upon penalties exceeded the nature of the infractions, we accept the final outcome of the case. In addition, the assistant coach involved is no longer employed by the university."

In reality, these penalties are a slap on the wrist. From a perception standpoint, however, this is not a good look for Notre Dame. It also marks the second time Notre Dame has been sanctioned by the NCAA during Brian Kelly's 11-year tenure running the program.

Other Notre Dame content:

Notre Dame DC Marcus Freeman Must Make A Decision On His Base D

What's Next: A look at what comes next for Notre Dame's defensive end recruiting

Replace and Reload: Offensive Guard

Notre Dame Must Make Philosophical Changes On Offense

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