And Miami fired Randy Shannon for what? In his second season since replacing Shannon, Hurricanes coach Al Golden is going through a second investigation looking into potential NCAA rules violations and the prospect of serious NCAA sanctions.
This time, there appears it will be an extended probe into the Hurricanes’ compliance practices.
Citing unidentified sources, Yahoo! Sports reported that former Miami football employee Sean Allen — who has been linked to one-time booster and now convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro through the improper-benefits scandal that broke last year — assisted members of Golden’s coaching staff with recruiting.
If true, that could be a major NCAA violation by the troubled program, despite Golden’s repeated insistence he wants to “get it fixed.”
“The inferences and suggestions in the Yahoo! Sports story that my conduct was anything but ethical are simply false,” Golden said.
He added that he has been a college football coach for more than 18 years and stands by his record of compliance.
Two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that NCAA investigators visited Miami for several days earlier this month, just the latest round in the lengthy inquiry into the Hurricanes’ athletic department. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because information about the probe has not been publicly released. Shapiro’s claims that he provided dozens of Miami athletes and recruits with extra benefits over an eight-year span were published by Yahoo! Sports last August.
Golden is scheduled to discuss the coming season at the Atlantic Coast Conference media days in North Carolina early next week.
A significant portion of Shapiro’s allegations from last year revolved around Allen, who was an assistant football equipment manager until leaving the program last year. Shapiro said he gave Allen more than $200,000, most allegedly spent on players and recruits, as well as a luxury car. Allen denied those claims in 2011.
