Memphis Sends Letter Alleging Major Violations in Men's Basketball to NCAA

On the same day Memphis men's basketball coach Penny Hardaway abruptly fired four employees, the university confirmed the existence of an anonymous letter alleging major NCAA violations within the Tigers' program.

The letter accuses Memphis men's basketball coach, Penny Hardaway, of his involvement in recruiting, academic violations.

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the letter alleges Hardaway's involvement in recruiting and academic misconduct. Sports Illustrated first reported the book's existence.

“The University of Memphis is aware of this anonymous letter, and it has been shared with the NCAA,” university spokeswoman Michele Ehrhart said in a statement to ESPN.

Four student-athletes were named in the letter: Ashton Hardaway, Jordan Brown, Jahvon Quinerly, and Malcolm Dandridge. All four accused of involvement in the education scandal were paid in cash and other forms.

Two months before the start of the college basketball season, Hardaway announced Wednesday morning that he was firing assistant coaches Rick Stansbury, Faragi Phillips, and Jamie Rosser, as well as special adviser Demetrius Dyson. Neither Hardaway nor the school gave a reason for the firing.

Before Wednesday's firing, five employees had already left the show this offseason.

Among the departures was Memphis athletic director Laird Veatch, who left the same job at Missouri in April. Memphis then hired Ed Scott from Virginia as the Tigers' new athletic director in June.

The Tigers open the season Nov. 4 against Missouri

Penny Hardaway, 53, said in a statement that she “made the difficult decision to move to a new location with our staff.” The Tigers open the season Nov. 4 against Missouri.

“The timing is not right, but I want to give this team the best opportunity to reach our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing to the NCAA Tournament,” Hardaway said in a statement. “As the season is fast approaching, we will move quickly to complete the workforce.”

It is not clear if the unknown letter is related to the shooting. A few of the alleged early violations for Memphis are at least two fired assistants. Not a single fired coach was named in the letter.

“The NCAA generally does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations,” the NCAA said in a statement.

Hardaway was suspended three games by the NCAA last season for recruiting violations, which violate coaching responsibility rules.

The anonymous letter is Hardaway's latest off-the-court issue since he was hired by his alma mater in March 2018. There was an NCAA investigation into alleged violations by James Wiseman and other recruits.

The Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) concluded that Hardaway did not violate NCAA rules due to his long tenure in Memphis.

Although Hardaway was cleared of any wrongdoing, the university was not.

Memphis faced three years of probation, a $5,000 fine, and a 25 percent reduction in the men's basketball budget after the IARP found the school guilty of one Level II violation and five Level III violations.

Hardaway was also suspended three games by the NCAA last season for recruiting violations and violating head coaching responsibility rules in a separate investigation.

Late last season, senior Malcolm Dandridge missed the team's final five games. Dandridge was forced to sit out as the school conducted an investigation into his eligibility.

Hardaway is 133-62 (.682) in six seasons with two NCAA Tournament berths: Round of 32 in 2022 and Round of 64 in 2023. He coached Memphis to the NIT Championship in 2021 as well.

However, the Tigers missed the NCAA Tournament last season despite going 22-10 (.688).