LSU has officially informed head men’s basketball Coach Will Wade “that he has been terminated for cause, pursuant to the provisions of his amended employment agreement” and Associate Coach Bill Armstrong has also been terminated, a letter from LSU President Tate and Athletic Director Scott Woodward said on Saturday.
This comes less than a week after LSU was given a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA which included violations, some of which are thought to be Level 1 major violations, within the men’s basketball program. LSU was eliminated from the SEC Tournament on Friday after losing to Arkansas 79-67 and was awaiting an NCAA Tournament bid.
Kevin Nickelberry will serve as LSU’s interim head coach as the Tiger’s look to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.
On Tuesday, LSU received an official Notice of Allegations from the NCAA’s Independent Accountability Review Process on Tuesday, involving both LSU men’s basketball Head Coach Will Wade and violations within the football program, according to sources first reported to Sports Illustrated.
This stems from an investigation into infractions from LSU’s football and men’s basketball programs dating back to 2017. LSU on Wednesday, said they’re unable legally unable to comment on the NOA, however, if Wade is charged with a major violation he could be fired with cause, as per a clause in his contract implemented in 2019.
The initial probe into the LSU men’s basketball program began in Wade’s first year at LSU in 2017, when an FBI investigation delved into corruption within college basketball recruiting tactics.
In 2017, Wade was heard on FBI wiretap talking to sports agent Christian Dawkins about arranging a “strong ass offer” potentially for former LSU guard Javonte Smart. Dawkins was later convicted of federal bribery and conspiracy charges and has recently reported to federal prison. Multiple assistant coaches across college basketball were also arrested during this investigation, but no head coach was ever charged.
Following the initial investigation in 2019, LSU suspended Wade promptly before the start of the NCAA tournament. Months later the school reinstated him after a new contract was agreed upon, involving a clause that allows LSU to fire him with cause should he be proven to have committed major violations.
LSU will now have several weeks to respond to the NOA before the Complex Case Unit files its response followed by a hearing and ruling. This process will likely take several months, so there is no way of knowing at the moment what exactly will happen to Wade and the LSU men’s basketball program.
The IARP has not proved to be very effective since its formation in 2019, solving just one of six cases it has seen. Louisville, Memphis, Kansas and Arizona, all have cases with the IARP at the moment, but none have been solved or made much progress.
The 21-10 Tigers are slated to compete in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday for the first round of the SEC Tournament.
This is a report. It will be updated when more information becomes available.
