Arizona State releases statement on bowl ban

TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona State was launched into the national spotlight a few days ago. It was announced they were self-imposing a bowl ban. The ban was in regards to recruiting allegations from the Herm Edwards era in Tempe. ASU is accused of illegally hosting recruits in a recruiting dead period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edwards and defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator Antonio Pierce were the primary culprits. Neither of them is on staff anymore. Edwards has a cushy chair at ESPN after being let go following an embarrassing home loss to Eastern Michigan in 2022. Pierce is in his second year as the linebackers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The administration, specifically Athletic Director Ray Anderson took heavy fire, primarily on X (formerly known as Twitter). The university responded to the fire with an official statement early Tuesday morning.

Arizona State’s official statement

Regarding ASU’s self-imposed bowl ban, please note the following:

• The deadline for ASU undergraduate student-athletes to enter the transfer portal was in April 2023.
• The NCAA case involving the University of Tennessee, which was particularly relevant to ASU’s case, was pending until the Committee on Infractions announced its decision on July 14, 2023.
•  In the University of Tennessee case the NCAA Committee on Infractions imposed “an enhanced financial penalty” of $8 million in lieu of a postseason competition ban.  It also required enhanced recruiting penalties, e.g., a 120-day reduction of evaluation days (28 fall days and 92 spring days), a 40-week reduction of unofficial visits, a loss of 28 scholarships, and a 28-week “reduction of communications” with recruits, i.e., no communications.
• ASU believes that if recruiting penalties of the type set out in the Tennessee case were applied to ASU, such penalties would seriously impair Coach Dillingham’s ability to build ASU’s football program.
• ASU self-imposed a postseason ban to help pave the way for program stability and greater clarity going forward.

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