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NCAA declares Geno Auriemma’s phone call to Mo’ne Davis a secondary violation

Geno Auriemma

Geno Auriemma

AP

Wednesday it was reported that an unnamed school turned in UConn head coach Geno Auriemma for his phone call to Philadelphia little leaguer Mo’ne Davis during the Little League World Series. Originally it was thought that, since Davis is in the eighth grade, the call did not violate any NCAA rules because she wasn’t considered to be a “recruitable athlete.” However that isn’t the case, and on Thursday it was reported by the Hartford Courant that the NCAA has determined the phone call to be a secondary violation of NCAA rules.

The phone call was deemed to be a violation of NCAA bylaw 13.1.3.1, which states that in women’s basketball a phone call cannot be made to an individual (or their parent or guardian) prior to September 1 of their junior year of high school. The key word in that bylaw is “individual,” which has a broader definition than if the phrase “recruitable athlete” were used.

It’s safe to say that UConn athletic director Warde Manuel was none too thrilled with the NCAA’s decision, despite the fact that the “penalty” for most secondary violations is simply some more education on the rules.

“Prior to attempting to reach Davis, Coach Auriemma checked with the UConn compliance department and was advised such a call would be permissible since Davis is not considered a prospective student-athlete by the NCAA and the call was to be congratulatory rather than recruiting in nature.

“While UConn will continue to adhere to the NCAA and conference rules, I believe that upon request from a friend to Geno, a proud Philadelphian, to call a young lady representing the City of Brotherly Love who had accomplished historic feats in the Little League World Series, should not constitute a violation especially due to the fact that NCAA rules do not classify Mo’ne as a prospective student-athlete.”


As noted above, a secondary violation isn’t a crippling blow to a program by any means. Maybe a conversation about how to not run afoul of certain rules will occur, but not much else.

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