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Tennessee self-reports three violations committed by men’s basketball program

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Martin instructs his team as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels during the SEC men's NCAA basketball tournament in New Orleans

Tennessee Volunteers head coach Cuonzo Martin instructs his team as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels during the second round of the SEC men’s NCAA basketball tournament in New Orleans, Louisiana March 9, 2012. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

REUTERS

The University of Tennessee has self-reported 10 violations within its athletic department, three of which occurred within the men’s basketball program. The description of the violations comes from the Associated Press:

One of the men’s basketball violations involved holding open individual skill instruction before a football game. During that session, recruits making official visits were allowed to attempt shots while coaches were present. The others were inconsistencies in the camp registration process and prohibited grocery shopping services for student-athletes.

If it seems ridiculous, it probably is. This is all in an attempt to create a “level playing field”. The real fun begins when parsing the language.

Recruits on an official visit “attempted shots while coaches were present.” Taken literally, perhaps those recruits wouldn’t have caused the school any trouble, had they only taken a page out of Bob Knight’s book, pump-faked, and passed up the shot.

The NCAA has made an effort in recent years to reform recruiting, including deregulating communication bylaws. Clearly, though, there is a lot of work left to do.

Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_