Former Arizona State football head coach, non-coaching staff member, violated recruiting rules

Former Arizona State football head coach Antonio Pierce and former non-coaching staff member Anthony Garnett participated in a program-wide effort to engage in impermissible recruiting activities during the COVID-19 dead period, according to a decision by a Division I panel committee for violations. Due to his personal involvement in aspects of the violations, namely providing recruitment inducements to prospective clients and their families, Pierce violated the principles of ethical conduct.

In April, the Division I Committee on Violations approved a negotiated resolution in which the school and four other individuals agreed to the violations and penalties in the case. Three additional parties did not participate in the hearing of the case and their violations and penalties were included in the agreement. The Division I Offenses Commission publicly announced the agreements so that the school could immediately begin serving penalties, pending the commission's final decision for the parties disputing their violations. The case for Pierce and Garnett was resolved through a written hearing.

The majority of the violations in the case stemmed from a scheme in which Pierce, other members of the football staff and a booster arranged unofficial visits to the school for about a year during the COVID-19 dead period. During these visits, which took place over 15 weekends, staff members engaged in impermissible recruitment contacts, including tryouts, tours of football facilities and entertainment with 35 prospects and their families. Pierce personally arranged or provided free meals, clothing, airfare and/or lodging for 27 prospects, often working with the booster, who was the parent of a then-football student-athlete in the program. In addition to violating the dead period rules, the meals, entertainment, including taking a candidate's parents to a gentlemen's club, and travel expenses associated with the unofficial visits, also constituted impermissible inducements to recruitment. As a result of the impermissible benefits the prospects received, eight who ultimately enrolled at Arizona State participated in 19 contests while ineligible.

Several members of the coaching staff indicated during their interviews with enforcement personnel that Pierce was “running the show” within the Arizona State football program, and they feared that failure to comply with Pierce's directives would result in the loss of their jobs.

As part of the plan, Garnett facilitated a tryout, arranged unauthorized transportation, and had personal recruiting contacts with prospects and their families.

Additional dead period violations occurred when Pierce and Garnett left the state to observe prospects during practices or games, including meetings with prospects and their families.

Finally, Pierce instructed an assistant coach to tamper by texting and calling a student-athlete who was enrolled at another school and not in the transfer portal. The assistant coach sent the student-athlete 46 text messages and called him at least once, but the student-athlete ultimately did not transfer to Arizona State.

Due to his personal involvement in knowingly arranging or providing recruitment inducements to prospective clients and their families, Pierce violated the Code of Ethics.

After seceding from Arizona State, Pierce failed several times to fulfill his responsibility to cooperate. Although he participated in an interview with enforcement personnel and acknowledged some facts surrounding the unofficial visits, he consistently denied that he had planned or organized any part of the visits, that he had provided recruitment incentives, or that he had participated in outside contacts and evaluations the state. Additionally, Pierce failed to provide relevant financial documentation requested by enforcement personnel.

Garnett acknowledged his role in conducting a tryout with a prospect and participating in other recruiting contacts during the unofficial visits. However, he failed to comply with his obligation to cooperate when he denied other aspects of his conduct, despite significant information to the contrary.

The panel classified the case as Level I aggravated for both Pierce and Garnett. In addition to the penalties approved by the Division I infractions committee in April, the committee used the Division I membership-approved infractions penalty guidelines to prescribe the following:

• An eight-year order for Pierce. Should he become employed by an NCAA member school during that time, he will be suspended from all athletics-related activities for 100% of the first season of his employment.
• A five-year show-cause order for Garnett. Should he become employed by an NCAA member school during that time, he will be suspended from all athletics-related activities for 100% of the first season of his employment.

The members of the Infractions Committee are drawn from NCAA membership and members of the public. The members of the panel who reviewed this case are Cassandra Kirk, chief judge in Atlanta; Jason Leonard, Oklahoma executive director of athletics compliance and the panel's chief hearing officer; Kay Norton, president emerita of Northern Colorado; Stephen Madva, attorney in private practice; and Roderick Perry, former athletics director at IUPUI.