Why is the NCAA sanctioning Southern Utah — yes, Southern Utah — for tampering violations?
Why is the NCAA sanctioning Southern Utah — yes, Southern Utah — for tampering violations?
“I got a year’s jail time for a jaywalking ticket," coach DeLane Fitzgerald tells The Inside Zone.
To all who say that the NCAA enforcement arm takes too long to mete out punishment, to all who say that the governing body of college athletics spends a little too much time looking out for the little guy … boy do we have a story for you.
Southern Utah has just been penalized for tampering.
Southern Utah?
Yes, Southern Utah.
These are the Thunderbirds of the United Athletic Conference, to be clear. Not the Utes of Utah, who are about to enter the Big 12.
In fact, Utah’s first game as a Big 12 school will come against Southern Utah, as the two are set to meet Aug. 29 in the season opener at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
That is not to be confused with Eccles Coliseum, which is Southern Utah’s home field. That venue is 250 miles away in Cedar City and seats 42,000 fewer people than the stadium in Salt Lake City.
Don’t overlook this game, by the way — Southern Utah damn near beat Arizona State in last year’s opener, falling 24-21.
Thunderbirds head coach DeLane Fitzgerald was on the sidelines for that one. He will, thankfully, be on the sidelines for the Utah game this August as well.
Fitzgerald was suspended for tampering violations, but that suspension was retroactive, as the school cooperated with the NCAA and had him serve his suspension for last season’s home finale against Oakland’s Lincoln University, which might be the college equivalent of Bishop Sycamore.
On Wednesday, the NCAA deemed that game enough — for a suspension, at least.
The organization also hit Southern Utah with one year of probation, a $5,000 fine and a two-week prohibition on all recruiting activities for this year. (One week already took place, during the spring transfer window.)
Oh, and in addition to last year’s suspension, Fitzgerald has been given a two-year show-cause order, which means that any school that hires him during this time must impose a two-week off-campus recruiting ban and suspend him from all recruiting communications for one week during the 2025 transfer period.
Got all that?
Don’t tamper, schools. It doesn’t pay to cheat.
At least when you’re in the FCS and don’t have tons of NIL money or legal resources to throw around.