Kansas Basketball Suspends Bill Self

As we are less than a week away from the start of the 2022-2023 college basketball season starting, there is already some huge news out of Lawrence, Kansas. The Jayhawks have self-imposed a four-game suspension for head coach Bill Self and assistant Kurtis Townsend.

Kansas Basketball coach Bill Self, Photo Courtesy of Dallas Morning News

The reigning national champions will be without their head coach and top assistant for the first four games of the season, including a November 15th matchup against Duke in the Champions Classic. Assistant Norm Roberts will be acting coach.

This self-imposed suspension stems from the 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption. Self and Townsend were both named in the NCAA’s notice of allegations that accused Kansas of five Level I violations with its relationship with Adidas. Kansas decided to turn over the case to the Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP) and notified them of their self-imposed penalties.

These suspensions were not the only penalties Kansas brought upon themselves, as there are also many recruiting restrictions. Self and Townsend have already banned themselves from in-person recruiting this past summer, and in the future they will lose three scholarships over the next three years and cut down recruiting visits and days.

Self and Townsend should return to the Jayhawks sideline vs NC State at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas on November 23rd.