Sean Miller was hired by Xavier on Saturday, where he trained before joining the UA.
Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star 2020
If the NCAA charges against him in Arizona’s still decent infraction case, Sean Miller will likely serve a suspension of 9 to 15 players early in his second coaching stint at Xavier, an expert says.
Ordered to return to Xavier on Saturday, 11 months after Arizona fired him after years of FBI and NCAA investigations in his UA program, Miller still faces an individual Level I (mostly) charge for a lack of head coach responsibility.
Any resulting penalties would follow Miller to his new school.
Investigative weapons from both the NCAA (October 2020) and Independent Responsibility Resolution (October 2021) issued the same five Level I charges to Arizona. Three involved academic misconduct and unfair recruitment inductions by two of Miller’s former assistants, Mark Phelps and Buch Richardson; one was against Miller for failing to control his assistants; and one was against Arizona for institutional lack of control.
Under NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1, which maintains a guilty-to-proven-innocent standard, Miller will only be released from his charge if he can prove that he actively promoted and monitored compliance, and was misled by his then assistant coaches.
If the IARP hearing panel injures Miller, Miller could potentially receive a Level I standard individual punishment, according to Stu Brown, an Atlanta-based attorney who works with schools on NCAA infraction cases. Under the NCAA Penalty Matrix, a Level I standard results in a suspension of 30% to 50% of a season – or 9 to 15 players.
Add Comment