NCAA announces penalties for recruiting violations by Boise State men’s tennis team
The Boise State men’s tennis team will serve two years of probation, pay a $5,000 fine and endure other penalties for Level II recruiting violations that occurred during former head coach Kristian Widen’s tenure, the NCAA announced Tuesday.
An unnamed assistant coach on Widen’s staff violated NCAA rules by communicating with and recruiting athletes who were enrolled at other universities and were not in the transfer portal, according to the negotiated resolution that was released by the Division I Committee on Infractions.
The assistant communicated with multiple athletes at other schools over a two-year period, recruiting them personally and asking them to help recruit other athletes. The assistant coach even offered athletes a financial reward if they were able to successfully recruit other athletes to Boise State, according to a press release.
More reported violations occurred when the assistant contacted three men’s tennis players from another school when both programs were in Denver for a tournament. One of the athletes, who was not named in the report, transferred to Boise State and competed in 17 matches that he was ineligible for, according to the NCAA.
Neither the assistant coach nor Widen remains employed at Boise State. Widen resigned in January of 2022 and was replaced by former Boise State tennis player Luke Shields.
Boise State is not contesting the violations, and the case was resolved through the NCAA’s new Negotiated Resolution Process, which allowed for the bypassing of a formal hearing because the university, the coaches involved and the enforcement staff agreed on the violations and the penalties, according to the release.
“Boise State University is committed to conducting its intercollegiate athletics programs in accordance with the highest ethical standards and in full compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations,” Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey said Tuesday in a statement.
“At Boise State University, all employees are expected to support athletic and academic success within both the letter and spirit of NCAA and Mountain West Conference rules. Intentional violations of NCAA rules will not be tolerated.”
In addition to probation and the fine, the list of penalties for the Boise State men’s tennis team includes:
▪ A 12.5% reduction in official visits during the 2023-24 academic year.
▪ A six-week prohibition on unofficial visits in 2023-24.
▪ A six-week prohibition on communicating with recruits and off-campus contact.
▪ A three-year show-cause order for the former assistant coach. During that period, any school employing him must restrict him from any athletically related duties unless it shows cause why the restrictions should not apply.
▪ A two-game suspension for Widen if he were to coach again.
Also, all records and statistics from the matches the ineligible athlete competed in must be vacated. Boise State must provide a written report of the matches to the NCAA media coordination and statistics staff within 14 days of the public release of the decision.
