TCU basketball served notice of allegations by NCAA in FBI case involving ex assistant
The NCAA has served a notice of allegations to TCU this week, stemming from former men’s basketball assistant Corey Barker being linked in the FBI’s undercover operation on bribery and fraud within college basketball.
The allegations do not charge current Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon or any other current member of the coaching staff.
The school acknowledged the notice of allegations in a statement released to the Star-Telegram on Wednesday.
“TCU has received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA enforcement staff specific to former assistant men’s basketball coach Corey Barker,” the school said. “There were no other individuals involved or additional allegations against the university. Per NCAA rules, because this is a pending case, TCU is not permitted to comment further.”
Barker coached at TCU from 2016-19. He was fired on March 11 for failing to cooperate with an internal investigation. He is now an assistant coach on Chris Jans’ staff at New Mexico State.
It’s unclear at this moment whether any of the violations are Level I, which is the most severe. But based off similar situations, it’s likely.
Oklahoma State was served a notice of allegations in November stemming from one of its former assistants, Lamont Evans, being part of the FBI probe. The NCAA handed a Level I unethical charge against Evans, who plead guilty to a conspiracy bribery charge.
Barker was never charged with a crime.
Barker’s name surfaced in the FBI probe late last season, alleging he received a $6,000 bribery payment to steer TCU players to a specific sports agency in July 2017.
During disgraced agent Christian Dawkins’ trial last summer for the pay-for-play scheme, court testimony suggested Barker quickly returned the “bribe” payment.
TCU has said it “is committed to the highest ethical and professional standards of conduct, and our employees understand they must live by those standards.”
Other schools linked to the FBI corruption case that have been served NOAs by the NCAA, along with TCU and Oklahoma State, are North Carolina State, USC and Kansas.
The notice of allegations is just the first step in the NCAA process that could take months to determine what, if any, discipline should be handed to TCU and/or Barker.
TCU basketball, meanwhile, is off to its best start in conference play since joining the Big 12, winning its first two games. The Frogs knocked off Kansas State on Tuesday night.
TCU (11-3, 2-0 Big 12) returns home and will face Oklahoma State (9-5, 0-2) on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Schollmaier Arena.
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 6:44 PM.
