Report: Arizona State acknowledges NCAA investigation

The NCAA is investigating Arizona State’s football program, a school spokeswoman told The Athletic.

Arizona State vice president of media relations Katie Paquet, in a statement to the website, confirmed “an investigation regarding allegations related to our football program.”

She said the university could not provide further comment because of NCAA bylaws.

The Athletic, citing unidentified sources reported Wednesday the football program is being investigated for hosting high school prospects during the NCAA-imposed ban on in-person recruiting during the pandemic.

The NCAA shut down official visits to campus by high school prospects in all sports and banned coaches from taking recruiting trips for more than a year because of COVID-19. The so-called dead period was lifted by the NCAA in April and in-person recruiting restarted June 1.

Arizona State played only four games during what was already planned to be an abbreviated Pac-12 season last year. The Sun Devils had program-wide COVID-19 outbreak that forced the team to cancel three straight games. Coach Herm Edwards was among those who tested positive for the virus during last season.

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