Report: Tyndall files appeal to NCAA

Former Southern Miss men’s basketball coach Donnie Tyndall has filed an appeal with the NCAA to overturn his 10-year show-cause penalty, according to CBSsports.com.

Tyndall is accused of arranging impermissible financial aid for players and fraudulent academic credit for recruits during his two seasons at USM from 2012 to 2014. Tennessee fired Tyndall following the 2014-15 season after the school was informed of the NCAA’s allegations.

The NCAA came down hard on Tyndall in April with the 10-year show-cause and placed USM on probation from Jan. 30, 2017 to Jan 29, 2020. USM escaped any further postseason ban by the NCAA after self-imposed bans the last two seasons.

Tyndall is asking that his penalties be reduced if they are not vacated, the CBSsports.com report said.

Tyndall’s challenge to the NCAA points out that much of its case was built on the testimony of former assistant Adam Howard, who wasn’t forthcoming with the NCAA until after he was fired by Tyndall at Tennessee.

“I’m not disputing that violations happened on my watch,” Tyndall told CBS Sports. “I acknowledge that. I take responsibility for that. I should be punished similarly to the way (Syracuse coach) Jim Boeheim and (SMU coach) Larry Brown were punished when violations happened on their watches. But what the did NCAA did to me is wrong.

“The NCAA interviewed 40 people, and most of them denied I had any knowledge of academic fraud, and none of them, except Adam Howard, said I was involved. And Adam Howard only said what he said after he cut a deal with the NCAA thanks to his lawyer who used to be on the Committee of Infractions.

“In other words, lots of people said I wasn’t involved – and only one person said I was involved. But the NCAA took the word of one person over everybody else and buried me. That’s not right or fair – especially when you consider that these false allegations also cost me my job at Tennessee.”

This story was originally published June 29, 2016 at 10:49 AM with the headline "Report: Tyndall files appeal to NCAA."