(AP Photo)KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The NCAA announced Wednesday it had hit the former Tennessee men's basketball coach with a three-year show-cause penalty.
The Volunteers program will not face additional sanctions beyond what it self-imposed in response to charges of 12 major violations.
The show-cause penalty means any school wanting to hire him must go before the NCAA to explain why and could face penalties.
Former Pearl assistants Tony Jones, Jason Shay and Steve Forbes face the same sanctions, except they were only given one-year penalties.
The Vols football and basketball programs were accused of major recruiting violations, and Pearl acknowledged last September he lied to NCAA investigators during an interview.
Tennessee docked Pearl's and his staff's salaries and limited their recruiting before firing them in March. Tennessee imposed a two-year probation on itself and additional recruiting restrictions on the basketball and football programs.
The NCAA concluded that violations committed by former Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin, though troubling, were minor in nature and did not warrant punishment.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
