Bill Self blames NCAA investigation into Kansas for 'immensely' tarnishing his reputation
Kansas avoided significant penalties in the NCAA’s investigation into its basketball program last week, but Bill Self is still feeling the impact.
Self said Wednesday at the Big 12’s media day in Kansas City that even after the NCAA’s independent panel reduced the Jayhawks’ charges following the FBI’s investigation into the sport, his “reputation has been tarnished immensely.”
"But the whole thing is we knew right from the jump what we had done and what we had not done,” Self said, via ESPN. “The bottom line is I'm proud of how we conducted our business. At the end of the day, it was a long blip, but it was still a blip in the big scheme of things."
Self and Kansas were accused of five Level I violations in 2019 for recruiting issues connected to the FBI’s investigation into college basketball. Kansas pushed back against the NCAA throughout the years-long process but also imposed several penalties on itself — including recruiting violations and a four-game suspension for Self.
Then last week, the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Resolution Process opted to reduce the initial violations. Kansas had to vacate some wins, but it was not hit with a postseason ban or other significant penalties.
The Jayhawks were the last school with an active case connected to the scandal. All other schools involved, except for Oklahoma State, avoided postseason bans. The Cowboys, who cooperated fully after an assistant coach was sentenced to three months in jail, were banned from the NCAA tournament in 2022 — something coach Mike Boynton wants an apology for.
While the process has been taxing on Self, he said he's happy that it’s now behind him headed into the season.
"I think it's been so frustrating because we haven't been able to speak out or speak up or to have comment or even defend ourselves in many ways," Self said, via ESPN. "But looking back now? Frustrating, taxing, a lot of different things. But [I'm] so glad that it's behind us. That's a lot of stress to put on a lot of people for that many years. Of course, the narrative wasn't exactly what the end result ended up being. And certainly, the end result is exactly what we expected all along."
Kansas, which earned the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press’ preseason poll, will open its season Nov. 6 against North Carolina Central.
Self ‘disappointed’ after Arterio Morris’ dismissal, said he was ‘well-vetted’
Self was asked at media day about Arterio Morris, who was dismissed from the Jayhawks after he was arrested on a rape charge last month.
Morris transferred to Kansas after spending his freshman season at Texas, where he was accused of physically assaulting an ex-girlfriend in 2022. He was charged with a misdemeanor and later pleaded no-contest in that incident.
Then in August, an 18-year-old woman said she was sexually assaulted by Morris on campus at Kansas. Morris was arrested, suspended and eventually dismissed from the program.
"We liked Arterio as a prospect coming in and as a person," Self said Wednesday, via ESPN. "It was well-vetted by all the proper people on campus and everything like that. Certainly, it's been a very bad situation, and you don't want to lose sight of all parties involved with the situation. We're certainly disappointed, but we've handled it the only way that we know how we can handle it, and you know, we certainly hope for the best for all parties. But we definitely made the decision to move forward without him being a part of us."
