This past Friday, the NCAA and UC Berkeley resolved a case of recruiting infractions by the Cal football program.

According to Cal Athletics, the inciting incident was a March 2022 Zoom panel arranged by football staff members, in which three “representatives of athletics interests” promoted the football program to a group of prospective recruits and their family members. Furthermore, another such representative had “impermissible in-person contact” with four potential recruits and their families. A member of the football staff also requested that an individual impermissibly contact recruits and their parents, communicating with five additional athletes. At the time of the violations, this person was not a university employee.

One involved party also violated NCAA principles of ethical conduct by failing to provide “full, complete or timely information” during the investigation and knowingly misleading NCAA enforcement officials.

Per a statement by Cal Athletics, these individuals “disregarded” a directive by the university’s Athletic Compliance Office not to engage in impermissible recruiting activity. Cal Athletics self-reported the violation, as NCAA policy dictates.

NCAA policy holds the head football coach responsible for violations that occur within the football program. However, investigators concluded that, barring the “circumstances set forth” in the resolution, head coach Justin Wilcox promoted compliance within the program. Wilcox was therefore not issued a suspension.

The NCAA operates on a three-tiered system for rule violations, with Level I indicating a “severe breach of conduct,” Level II a “significant breach of conduct” and Level III a standard “breach of conduct.”

Cal’s violations amounted to a Level II distinction. However, the NCAA noted Cal Athletics’ prompt self-reporting of the incidents, its cooperation and previous track record of reporting Level III violations, along with the absence of Level I or other Level II violations over the past decade. Cal itself was assessed with “mitigated” Level II violations, as were four of its athletic staffers. One staff member — the one deemed to have violated NCAA standards of ethical conduct — was found to have committed “aggravated” Level II violations. None of the involved individuals are named, either in Cal’s statement or among the available case information.

As a result of this misconduct, Cal will be under NCAA probation from May 2, 2025 to May 1, 2026 and pay a $25,000 fine. Recruiting during the 2024-25 academic year was notably limited: Among many other restrictions, Cal served a prohibition on unofficial visits from March 31 to April 14, 2025, as well as a two-week suspension on official visits in fall 2025. The implicated staff members were barred from recruiting off campus or contacting recruits for periods ranging from two to three weeks.

Two staffers were handed single-game suspensions, while another was suspended for two games.

The individual who violated the NCAA’s principles of ethical conduct received a two-year show-cause order and must “disassociate” from the university. The show-cause order means that any penalties imposed on an individual by the NCAA are transferable to any future collegiate employers, unless the institution can provide a good reason not to be punished.

Practically, a show-cause order amounts to blacklisting from college athletics. Former Cal basketball coach Todd Bozeman resigned in 1996 after he was found to have paid the parents of guard Jelani Gardner and received an eight-year show-cause order. Bozeman did not coach in the collegiate ranks for a decade before taking the top job at Morgan State.

“UC Berkeley self-reported the incident as per NCAA policy and accepts full responsibility for these violations,” Cal Athletics said in its statement. “We cooperated with the NCAA throughout the process and understand that having a compliant culture is paramount for the mission of the athletics department and University.”