Kentucky given 2 years' probation over football infractions

Kentucky's athletic department agreed to a two-year probation period Friday following sanctions in the school's football and swimming programs.

Kentucky football will also vacate wins from its 2021 campaign, when the Wildcats went 10-3 and won the Citrus Bowl against Iowa.

The football program's violations were related to players receiving "impermissible benefits" in the form of no-show jobs for UK HealthCare. At least 11 players received payment for work not performed between spring of 2021 and March 2022; eight of those players went on to compete while ineligible.

Kentucky president Eli Capilouto said in a release that all violations were self-reported when the athletic department became aware of them.

"We respect the findings. There is a process. We participated in it. We accept the final resolution, and we are moving forward," Capilouto said.

"However, it is important to underscore that the NCAA strongly affirms the rigor of our rules compliance and reporting systems within athletics with respect to the football program. And in the case of the swimming program, the 'failure to monitor' violation took place during the pandemic. Then, most student athletes were not on campus and our customary in-person monitoring was not possible due to public health protocols."

The swimming program's violations pertain to athletes not being provided the required number of days off and exceeding the allowable number of practice hours.

Capilouto also addressed allegations of sexual assault and harassment of staff by the now-former head swim coach, Lars Jorgensen, saying they are "deeply distressing to all of us." Jorgensen's portion of the case will be decided separately by the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions.

"The most serious of the allegations were only known to us at the time a lawsuit was filed by two former staff members and after the coach had been dismissed," Capilouto said.

--Field Level Media