Already on four years of probation from the NCAA due to impermissible benefits (including a few hundred dollars worth of clothing) received by former wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech will receive an additional two years due to texts sent by former assistant coach Todd Spencer, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"That is not something that sits well with me or with any of us here," athletic director Mike Bobinski said of the "failure to monitor" reprimand. "That's not a good-sounding or good-feeling term. It's not one we want to wear beyond this. As I told you before, it is clearly our intention this the last time we ever go down this road."
Spencer sent numerous texts to recruits during a time in the recruiting calendar when he was only allowed to email and fax them. He resigned shortly after the initial violation came out in early 2012. Spencer is now an assistant coach at Army. The university was initially scheduled to be on probation through 2015, but that will stretch to 2017, which means the team's struggles could continue, especially after a rough offseason.
The AJC's story said that coaches in other sports were also mistakenly making impermissible phone calls that their compliance department told them were OK to make.
Compounding head coach Paul Johnson's challenges, the Yellow Jackets have lost five or more games four years in a row and suffered significant attrition this offseason.