CBS Sports: Exiled Sampson admits mistakes, rues bad timing of offenses
I asked one high-ranking member of the NCAA where the illegal phone calls violation currently stacks up.
“We don’t even care about that anymore,” they said. “We aren’t even wasting our time and resources with it.”
So much so that the rules, in fact, are likely to change this year. There will almost certainly be more communication permitted between coaches and recruits, potentially even unlimited calls, and the NCAA is also set to allow text messaging in the recruiting process.
“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Sampson said of the proposed legislation regarding phone calls. “These days kids dictate the calls and they choose whether to talk to you or not. It’s good for coaches because it’s hard to build relationships with kids.”
“I’m glad the rule’s going to change because it’ll put a lot of coaches’ minds at ease about the phone-call rules,” he continued.
Sampson was hit with a five-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA, which basically means he can’t coach in college basketball until 2013. He was also accused of providing false information to the NCAA, a claim he continues to deny.
“Initially, we didn’t understand why it was at the level that it was,” Sampson said of the punishment. “But at the end of the day, I have to take responsibility. I broke the rule. There’s nobody else to blame.”
Filed to: Kelvin Sampson