NCAA upholds penalty on Tyndall

The NCAA has upheld a 10-year show cause penalty against former Southern Mississippi coach Donnie Tyndall for orchestrating academic fraud while he worked at the school, Tyndall’s attorney said Wednesday.

Don Jackson wrote in a text message to The Associated Press that there were “multiple justifications for overturning this decision” against his client, but that the NCAA’s ruling to uphold the penalties “is not entirely unexpected.” The 10-year show cause is one of the most severe individual penalties ever levied by the NCAA.

Tyndall had a 56-17 record over two seasons with Southern Miss, including two trips to the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals. He left for Tennessee in 2014, where he was fired after one season after his involvement in the Southern Miss violations became clear.

The NCAA originally ruled on the case in April, saying in its report that Tyndall “acted unethically and failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance when he directed his staff to engage in academic misconduct” while coaching Southern Mississippi from 2012-14. Tyndall filed his appeal in June.

Southern Mississippi self-imposed a two-year postseason ban that took effect in 2015. The program is under probation until 2020 and lost several scholarships. Tyndall’s show cause penalty runs through 2026.

Bragg update: Kansas forward Carlton Bragg Jr. has been granted diversion after being charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

The diversion agreement was reached after criminal charges were filed in Lawrence Municipal Court on Monday. Details of the terms were not available.

If Bragg meets those terms, the charge will be dropped, according to the city prosecutor’s website. If he does not, the charges will be reinstated.

Bragg was suspended indefinitely by the third-ranked Jayhawks and he missed Saturday’s win at Kentucky. Coach Bill Self said Monday that Bragg also wouldn’t play against No. 2 Baylor on Wednesday night.