Report: NCAA alleges recruiting violations at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech’s basketball program is under NCAA investigation for alleged recruiting violations involving current Chicago Bulls rookie Wendell Carter Jr. and former Yellow Jackets star Jarrett Jack, among others.

The school acknowledged the allegations Friday. Claims center around the actions of former assistant coach Darryl LaBarrie and booster Ron Bell and transpired in 2016 and 2017, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Two of the three potential rules violations discovered by the NCAA’s enforcement staff constitute “severe breaches of conduct (Level I violations) … the highest level of violations in the NCAA’s structure,” the newspaper reported.

The school responded to the developing story with a statement Friday, noting that it had until May 16 to respond to the NCAA’s allegations.

“A notice of allegations is a step in the NCAA’s process of investigating potential rules violations, but the process is ongoing,” the statement read. “Because the NCAA process remains open, Georgia Tech will not have further comment at this time.”

Head coach Josh Pastner declined to comment, but his attorney released a statement.

“Josh cooperated fully with the NCAA investigation and he has not been charged with any violations,” attorney Scott Tompsett said.

According to the reports by ESPN and the Atlanta Journal-Constution, LaBarrie took Carter and then-Yellow Jackets player Justin Moore to a strip club in November 2016, where they were introduced to Jack and provided with $300 in cash.

The NCAA report labels Jack, who played for eight teams in the NBA from 2005-18, as a representative of Georgia Tech’s athletic interests.

The NCAA also accuses LaBarrie of providing false and misleading information to investigators about the incident. He was placed on administrative leave in November 2017 and resigned later that season. Moore was suspended two games and later transferred to Pacific.

Bell, described as a former friend of Pastner’s, is accused of paying for flights and providing shoes, clothing and meals for former team members Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson. The NCAA notice also says Bell tried to influence then-Memphis player Markel Crawford to transfer to Georgia Tech, sending him hundreds of text messages starting in February 2017.

LaBarrie told the newspaper the allegations “are not all factual and the truth will come to light when I meet with the committee.”

–Field Level Media