NCAA penalizes Texas A&M, men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams for violations

Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams has been suspended two games and the Aggies have been placed on two years probation for multiple self-reported NCAA violations, the Division I Committee on Infractions announced Friday.

Per the NCAA’s report, the violations include Williams having impermissible contact with a prospect in July 2019. In addition, an assistant coach observed and later provided multiple tryouts with a prospect during an unofficial visit. That assistant also was found to have conducted 24 supervised, off-campus workouts with team members and a recruiting prospect that were prohibited during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The university, a men’s basketball assistant coach, the men’s basketball head coach and NCAA enforcement staff agreed that the program violated multiple NCAA recruiting rules,” the NCAA report stated.

Along with Williams’ two-game suspension, the school will also lose five official visits this year. The unnamed assistant was suspended from June 2020 through the 2020-21 season, according to the report, which also said Williams violated “head coach responsibility” rules when he allowed non-basketball staffers to instruct and coach players at multiple workouts.

“According to the agreement, the head coach violated head coach responsibility rules when he did not promote an atmosphere of compliance because of his personal involvement in the violations and because he did not monitor his staff’s involvement in violations,” the report states.

Last season, Texas A&M finished 8-10 in Williams’ second season with the program. The team missed all of February because of COVID-19 issues before returning in March and losing its last three games of the year.

The school worked with the NCAA through its “negotiated resolution process,” which means it agrees with the NCAA’s report and cannot appeal the penalties.