Arkansas State has been fined $5,000, ordered to vacate records in which an ineligible player competed and given a public reprimand from the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions, the NCAA said Wednesday.
A statement from the NCAA said that a former director of basketball operations "deviated from his normal apparel ordering process" when he provided a player with a login to the men's basketball team's promotional account. The unidentified player ordered $5,165 worth of apparel, the statement said. The former staff member tried to cancel the order but was unable to do so, and then arranged for the player to pick up the order, the statement said.
The Division I Committee on Infractions panel said the violation occurred when the staff member provided the apparel to the player and did not report the violation.
An ASU spokesman said Wednesday that the former staff member is Kyle Drake, who served last season as ASU's director of basketball operations. The NCAA's report said he was fired Dec. 21. The spokesman declined to identify the player, but did say ASU will vacate the Nov. 16 victory over Lyon College as part of the penalty.
The NCAA's report on the case said that a former player's father made ASU aware of the violation. In a statement, ASU Athletic Director Terry Mohajir said that ASU self-reported the violation when informed.
"We remain committed to complying with all NCAA rules and regulations, and we fully accept the fine imposed, public reprimand and to vacate one win from the 2015-2016 season as our penalty," Mohajir said in a statement.
The games ASU will vacate was not specified in the release, but an ASU spokesman said Tuesday that it recommended to vacate one victory from the 2015-16 season.
Former ASU Coach John Brady told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Tuesday that the violation that led to the staff member's firing was "inadvertent" when he provided the player with Adidas clothing. ASU has an apparel contract with Adidas.
"It wasn't like it helped him recruit him or nothing," Brady said. "The guy just made a mistake."
The NCAA noted that the case was resolved through the summary disposition process in which the school and the NCAA agree to the facts and forego a formal hearing.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.