Georgia NCAA violations range from flowers and balloons in hotel to impermissible coaching

Schools running afoul of NCAA rules have been in the news lately for major college football programs with an investigation at Michigan for in-person scouting and sign-stealing, Florida State reaching a negotiated resolution and Florida being investigated for rules violations centered on NIL payments.

Georgia athletics and other schools regularly report violations considered minor in nature.

From July 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023, Georgia reported 17 Level III violations across nine sports programs, according to information obtained from the school in an open records request. Those are considered isolated or limited in nature.

Georgia listed six in the same six-month period in 2022. Tennessee self reported three in the last six months of last year.

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Here’s what Georgia reported to the NCAA in the latest batch:

Georgia football rules violations: Phone calls, charity event, practice coaching

There were four violations involving the football program.

Two were for calling prospects before the permitted date.

A coach called a rising senior in a violation listed from June 26 and he was barred from calling the recruit for 14 days. A coach phoned a junior in a violation dated Feb. 14. The football staff did not call him during the permitted spring window to call juniors and could not contact the recruit by phone or electronically for another seven-day period.

A football noncoaching staff member broke a rule in a violation listed as Sept. 6 by taking part in a practice drill, exceeding the countable coach limit. He was prohibited from attending any activities with players for seven days.

The other violation was from August of 2022 and 2023 for “various” players receiving compensation that “marginally exceeded” expenses for appearing at a charity event. The players donated the excess expenses to charity and the charity and players received rules education.

Georgia basketball player family employment, official visit

The men’s basketball program was listed in one violation and the women’s basketball program in two.

A family member of a men’s player was employed part time in an hourly position on three dates, violating an NCAA rule, according to a listing of Aug. 25. That family member won’t be allowed to be hired during the next two years and compliance will review future candidates.

Three family members of a women’s basketball recruit were provided transportation for an official visit, one over the permitted number in a violation listed April 7. The staff was kept from any on-campus recruiting activity for one week. The program reduced official visits by two during the 2022-2023 cycle and contact with the recruit was curtailed.

A June 6 violation for the program concerned a staff member sending a graphic to an AAU coach who sent it to a recruit’s father before the permissible date. The staff was kept from contacting the recruit for 30 days.

Balloons among gymnastics violations

Georgia gymnastics violated an NCAA rule in a listing of Sep. 14 for flower arrangements and balloons in recruits hotel rooms during a visit. The gymnastics staff had to count the impermissible activity as a contact with each recruit involved.

Another violation reported for gymnastics on June 5 involved a coach sending a direct message on social media to a recruit before the permitted date, prompting the staff to not contact the recruit for two weeks. Another violation from Oct. 6. came when three recruits had contact with a media member who took their picture during a tour of an athletic facility. A staff member received a letter of admonishment and the staff was prohibited from contacting the recruits for two weeks.

Men’s tennis and track each have two violations

A men’s tennis coach commenting on a recruit’s social media post before the player committed to Georgia was a violation listed on June 11. The staff was barred from calling any recruits for 14 days and the coach was kept from recruiting activity for seven days.

Men’s tennis players didn’t get a required day off, according to a violation listed March 4. The team received an extra day off the next week.

A Dec. 19, 2022 violation for the track program came when a coach emailed the father of a recruit a PowerPoint “offer letter” before the date written offers were permitted. The staff couldn’t recruit the athlete for four weeks. Another track violation on June 13 came when a coach texted a junior before the permitted date. The staff and athlete couldn’t communicate for two weeks.

Baseball unofficial visits were violations

Unofficial visits from three rising juniors came before the permissible date and was reported on Aug. 13. A baseball coach was kept from recruiting for two weeks and recruiting off campus from Sept. 15-Oct. 8. The unofficial visits were counted as permissible contact and off-campus contacts were reduced by one for each recruit. In-person contact with the recruits was banned for 90 days.

A women’s golf violation from Aug. 20 involved an official visit by a recruit before Georgia received her transcript. The equestrian staff was involved in an Aug. 31 violation for arranging four pieces of correspondence on hotel beds, which “created larger images,” of the recruits visiting. The staff was required to count the activity as a contact with each recruit.