Hello and welcome to another electrifying episode on the Go Rhody Podcast Network! Join us as Christian Arnold, a digital reporter for the New York Post, dives into the riveting world of college basketball.
He’s got the inside scoop from Former Fordham coach Keith Urgo, who opens up about the jaw-dropping NCAA 3-year investigation into a recruiting scandal that shook the University. “What ultimately emerged is that the basketball team exceeded its recruiting entertainment expenses,” Arnold reveals.
These expenses, which can cover everything from sports games to bowling, are capped at $75 per person, but Fordham blew past that limit, racking up over $10K! The scandal even involved a controversial photo shoot in Central Park that violated NCAA rules.
During their phone interview, Christian sensed that the shroud of secrecy was finally being lifted as Urgo expressed relief over the NCAA’s long-awaited revelation of the investigation’s full extent.
Christian penned, “Keith Urgo felt like a weight had been lifted on Tuesday when the NCAA finally unveiled the findings of a yearslong probe into recruiting violations during his tenure as head men’s basketball coach at Fordham University.”
Yet, Urgo couldn’t hide his frustration over the “aggressive” nature of the NCAA’s inquiry, especially given the relatively minor infractions by the Rams basketball program. The highlight of the Urgo Interview? “It’s almost like they (NCAA) couldn’t touch the big dogs, so they had to penalize us to maintain the illusion of control and power.”
“It’s almost like they (NCAA) couldn’t touch the big dogs, so they had to penalize us to maintain the illusion of control and power.”
Keith Urgo, Former Head Coach of Fordham Basketball
Christian pointed out the absurdity of taking a recruit to a Yankee game and sticking to the $75 budget. He felt that probation would have been a fair punishment, but vacating Fordham’s incredible 25-8 season was over the top.
That dream season put them on the map! Brand wonders if the NCAA investigation cast a shadow over the team’s stellar 22-23 A10 coach of the year season. Urgo admitted it did impact the squad.
The list of impermissible activities includes tantalizing trips for recruits to events like New York Giants games, New York Knicks matches, Brooklyn Nets games, and the U.S. Open! There were even lesser violations like paid outings at bowling alleys and a wild instance where the team rented jet skis for a recruit.
Plus, on 24 occasions, the team hired a professional photographer for dazzling photo shoots in Times Square! The NCAA also questioned how long recruits spent in the suite for the US Open tickets.
Brand asks Christian how the NCAA uncovered the recruiting violations, to which Christian reveals that Fordham flagged and self-reported them. He suspects it all tied back to the US Open expenses.
Once that was uncovered, other events came under scrutiny.
Brand shares a legendary quote from NCAA college basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian:
“The NCAA was so mad at Kentucky they gave Cleveland State two more years of probation.”
Jerry Tarkanian, Legendary College Basketball Coach
