UAlbany coach Brown suspended
Assistant’s self-reported recruiting violation leads to 1-game ban for both
ALBANY, N.Y. » The University at Albany men’s basketball coach Will Brown and assistant John Iati will both serve a 1-game suspension for NCAA recruiting violations according to a release by the school.
Iati will serve his suspension Friday night against Yale, and Brown will not be on the sideline for Monday’s game against Oneonta.
“It’s critical that everyone associated with our program understand the importance of compliance with NCAA bylaws,” Brown said in a release. “And as head coach, it’s my responsibility to ensure we are operating at full compliance. We’re committed to working with our Office of Compliance Services to strengthen our training and education, so we can continue to represent the university and support our student-athletes in the most positive manner possible.”
The Level III violation occurred when Iati staged the National Letter of Intent signing ceremony of a prospective student-athlete. Additionally, the prospective student-athlete and family were photographed wearing team-issued apparel.
Under NCAA Division I bylaws, head coaches are accountable for the actions of all staff members and any violations that occur in the program.
UAlbany has reported the violations to the NCAA.
“We take compliance with NCAA rules very seriously, and based on the information that we have, we have applied penalties for this violation accordingly,” UAlbany Director of Athletics Mark Benson said in the release. “Our Office of Compliance Services provides outstanding support to all of our programs to promote a positive culture of compliance, and this serves as a reminder
that we all must be diligent in abiding by NCA A bylaws. I expect that our entire department will continue to be committed to the highest possible level of compliance.”