How many wins will Kentucky have to vacate due to the NCAA investigation? Exploring impact and aftermath

Kentucky reached an agreement with the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions regarding a case involving impermissible benefits on Friday. The school was accused of making payments to 11 football players for work they didn't perform between spring 2021 and March 2022.

Under the terms of the resolution with the governing body, Kentucky will be placed on two years of probation and will also be fined. The Wildcats are also required to vacate all the wins in games these players, who are now deemed ineligible, participated in while they were with the program.

The vacated wins are expected to stem from the 2021 and 2022 seasons, based on the timeline of violations detailed in the NCAA's statement on Friday. That means the Wildcats might vacate up to 17 football wins after finishing 10-3 in 2021 and 7-6 in 2022 under Mark Stoop.

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The university self-reported the violations

In a message to the university community on Friday following the announcement by the NCAA, Kentucky president Eli Capilouto noted that the university self-reported the violations to the NCAA a few years back.

“In short, UK’s athletics program discovered and self-reported concerns a few years ago about NCAA rules violations in our football and swimming programs,” Capilouto said.

“In both cases, once UK became aware of the issues, we rigorously investigated, reported the violations to the NCAA and imposed sanctions of our own. Much of that has been previously communicated and reported.”

Considering how the NCAA Committee on Infraction operates, self-reporting played a role in helping the school reach an agreement on disciplinary action with less hassles.

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Kentucky respects the NCAA findings

Eli Capilouto noted in his statement on Friday that the school administration respects the discovery of the NCAA during its investigation since the report was made and accepts the disciplinary measures placed on the school.

"We respect the findings. There is a process. We participated in it. We accept the final resolution, and we are moving forward,” Kentucky president Eli Caplouto said in a statement.

“However, it is important to underscore that the NCAA strongly affirms the rigor of our rules compliance and reporting systems within athletics with respect to the football program. And in the case of the swimming program, the ‘failure to monitor’ violation took place during the pandemic.”

In the agreement, the school and the Committee on Infractions concurred that no one in the athletic department was aware of or could have reasonably been expected to know about the no-show jobs. That obviously played a role in the lessened disciplinary measures.