NCAA Penalizes Southern Utah for Football Recruiting Violations

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Southern Utah agreed that tampering violations occurred in the football program when football head coach DeLane Fitzgerald impermissibly contacted two student-athletes from other schools who were not entered into the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to an agreement released by the Division I Committee on Infractions. As a result of the impermissible recruiting contacts and Fitgerald's personal involvement in the violations, the parties agreed that Fitzgerald violated head coach responsibility rules. The school also agreed that it failed to monitor its football program.

The school, Fitzgerald and the enforcement staff agreed that the violations in this case occurred when Fitzgerald impermissibly tampered with two student-athletes who were enrolled at other schools before they had entered the Transfer Portal. The first violation occurred when Fitzgerald participated in a 17-minute phone call with a student-athlete. Four days later that student-athlete entered the Transfer Portal and ultimately enrolled at Southern Utah. Another violation occurred when Fitzgerald sent two text messages to another student-athlete requesting game film. That student-athlete indicated that he was not interested in transferring and had not entered the Transfer Portal. 

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