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This year, Arizona State's bowl participation will be officially banned. Rumors had been simmering over at Tempe since yesterday regarding the possibility of the Sun Devils forgoing participation in the bowl season of their own accord.
ASU is under current investigation by the NCAA for allegedly breaking recruitment rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the one-year self-imposed ban by the university could be due to that.
Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson had this to say yesterday when the news broke that the ban was official:
"Arizona State University has informed the NCAA and Pac-12 conference that it will self-impose a one-year postseason ban on its football program for the upcoming season. In light of the ongoing investigation and our membership obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the matter, we will not be commenting further at this time."
College football insider Chris Karpman weighed in on the situation. He highlighted the fact that many of the players and coaching staff weren't even part of the team when the alleged violations took place:
"ASU has 50+ new scholarship players, including seniors who were not even with the team last year. They did nothing wrong. The new coaches did nothing wrong. Ray Anderson and Michael Crow should look all of them in the eye, explain themselves and answer their questions."
Karpman believes the university's AD Ray Anderson and president Michael Crow should "explain themselves" and answer the questions players and coaches have.
Possible reasons behind Arizona State banning bowl participation
The year-long Arizona State ban originates from a controversy regarding the school's recruitment policy during the COVID-19 dead period.
ASU allegedly hosted recruits in Tempe, Arizona, during the extended dead period imposed by the NCAA in 2020. In March of the same year, the NCAA halted recruitment for 15 months due to the impact of the pandemic. Herm Edwards was the head coach at the time.
The move is seen as a preemptive measure by ASU as the NCAA continues to investigate the Sun Devils for the alleged violations of the extended death period. According to some reports, Arizona State hosted at least 30 players violating NCAA rules.
Reactions to Arizona State's 1-year bowl ban
Reactions have come from all over the football world, with some expressing disapproval of the measure.
A source from inside the team told ESPN that the response from the team to the news was "devastating." The insider also revealed the feelings among senior players on the team:
"Their entire goal this year was to right the ship and to make a bowl game."
Others questioned the wisdom and fairness of waiting to announce the news at the last possible moment:
Sun Devils players tried to maintain a positive outlook in public:
Several ASU alumni were unhappy with the way things were handled:
What are your thoughts on ASU's self-imposed ban? Let us know in the comments section below.
