Former Arizona State associate football coach Antonio Pierce will not be part of the negotiated resolution of ASU’s case with the NCAA, reports Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.
The case, of course, concerns major recruiting violations allegedly committed by ASU while Pierce was on the Sun Devils’ staff. Pierce was linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at ASU from 2018 to 2021. He was also associate head coach there in 2020 and 2021, co-defensive coordinator there in 2020 and defensive coordinator there in 2021.
Although Pierce was not part of the negotiated resolution, he is not exempt from future punishment. He does not have to sit for an in-person interview with NCAA investigators about the case, but he does need to write a statement to the NCAA, according to Dodd’s sources. When that statement is analyzed and compared to what the NCAA has found so far, decisions will be made regarding a punishment for Pierce.
Pierce resigned from his duties ahead of the 2022 season at ASU, as he was one of five Arizona State assistants who were fired or resigned after allegations of recruiting violations came to light. Then-Sun Devil coach Herm Edwards was meeting with potential recruits at a rented house away from campus in Paradise Valley.
Allegations state that some of this occurred during the recruiting dead period in 2020, when coaches were not allowed to meet with recruits as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. No Power Five team had a shorter season in 2020 than Arizona State, due to the Sun Devil football program having to cancel games due to many people within the program testing positive for the coronavirus. Even the mother of then-ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels – Regina Jackson – was accused of helping pay for recruits’ flights to visit Arizona State during this period.
The reason Pierce doesn’t need to cooperate with the NCAA during this process is because he no longer plays college sports. He is the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders – an NFL team.
Sources told CBS Sports earlier that ASU’s negotiated resolution with the NCAA includes a show-cause penalty for Edwards. This means that a school is at risk of possible sanctions if that school hires you during the penalty period for cause. Dodd wrote that “Pierce, considered a central figure in the recruiting scandal, could receive a similar sentence.”
It’s important to note, however, that neither coach is expected to return to college football, at least in the near future. Dodd wrote that the NCAA’s decision is expected to be made soon. In February, CBS Sports previously reported that ASU was expected to admit to major recruiting violations during the negotiated resolution process.
ASU has already imposed a one-year ban ahead of the 2023 season. The potential silver lining that came with this decision was that it will likely prevent future postseason bans tied to this case.
There aren’t many wins or accomplishments for the NCAA to take away from the time Edwards and Pierce spent together at Arizona State. The two won just 25 games in four years together with the Sun Devils. Edwards stayed on for one more season after Pierce resigned, but was fired after a 1-2 start that included a two-goal home loss to Eastern Michigan.
The Sun Devils never finished a ranked season in any year under Edwards. In Pierce’s two years as co-defensive coordinator or defensive coordinator at Arizona State, the team never cracked the top 21 nationally in scoring defense, finished in the top 31 just once, and even finished just 90th in yards per game allowed in 2020.
This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Antonio Pierce Could Still Be Punished Despite Avoiding NCAA Negotiations
