Louisville Basketball Program Self-Reports $42 Laser Tag Admission Expenditure
By Russell WesterholmThe University of Louisville (UL) self-reported an instance of impermissible benefits provided to its student-athletes in the form of laser tag entry fees for six men's basketball players.
Because head coach Rick Pitino's Cardinals are not currently playing meaningful basketball games, NCAA rules forbade UL from covering the collective $42 fee. The six players who benefitted each paid back the $7 in a charitable donation.
The Sporting News learned of the UL report through a public records request. The UL men's basketball program was apparently allowed to pay for the admission of two recruits, but not the other six players, who were acting as hosts, during the April 19 laser tag session. They either forgot or did not realize that the program was not allowed to cover such an expense for them during the offseason.
The NCAA has several high-profile allegations of impermissible benefits and academic misconduct under its belt, but instances like this leave them open to harsh criticism, especially since it is not the first of its kind.
Shocking. Imagine laser tag with bagels and cream cheese...the horror. https://t.co/HaahruFnnF
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) August 6, 2015
The NCAA previously determined UConn head women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma made an impermissible contact with Mo'ne Davis. ESPN reported at the time that Auriemma even consulted UConn's athletic compliance office before speaking with Davis, who happens to be open about wanting to play basketball at UConn.
Staying in Storrs, the NCAA only recently implanted a rule removing the limit of food student-athletes can obtain in their campus meal plans. This was a result of Shabazz Napier, a former UConn men's point guard, publicly stating he went to bed hungry due to the aforementioned limits on meal plan food and because he could not afford to buy food for himself.
As The Louisville Courier-Journal pointed out, the NCAA deems Level III violations as "isolated... [providing] no more than a minimal recruiting, competitive or other advantage; and do not include more than a minimal impermissible benefit."
