Antonio Pierce Arizona State violations: What did the Raiders HC do?

Before joining the Raiders, Antonio Pierce spent four seasons with the Arizona State Sun Devils. During this time, apart from coaching the players, he also served as the program's recruiting coordinator.

However, the NCAA has served Pierce with penalties for recruiting violations when he was with the Sun Devils. So, what did the Raiders HC do?

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Antonio Pierce Arizona State violations

According to the NCAA, the Raiders coach violated the ethical conduct related to recruiting activities when the COVID-19 pandemic happened. During that time, he was the associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for Arizona State.

The different recruiting violation activities conducted by Antonio Pierce included meals, travel expenses and entertainment for recruits and their families. All these activities were considered impermissible and unethical.

Furthermore, when other coaches working during Pierce's time at Arizona State were investigated and questioned, they named Pierce as the leader of the recruitment violations. They clarified that they had the fear of losing their jobs if they didn't follow Pierce's instructions.

When Pierce himself was questioned during this investigation, he denied involvement in such unethical recruiting violations with the Sun Devils. He also denied participation in out-of-state evaluations and contacts with recruits but didn't provide the NCAA with proper financial documentation.

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What penalty is the NCAA imposing on Antonio Pierce for his recruiting violations with Arizona State?

The NCAA has penalized the Las Vegas Raiders coach with an eight-year show-cause penalty for his Arizona State recruiting violations. Thus, if he's hired during this period, he will be suspended from 100% of the athletic activities in his first season.

However, Pierce is not directly impacted by the penalty because it's eligible only at the collegiate level. Thus, he's free to work in the NFL unless he returns to college.

It might be a while before Antonio Pierce makes a comeback to college football coaching. At the moment, he's in the midst of his first full season as the Raiders HC after being appointed in January, replacing Josh McDaniels, who was fired last October by the Raiders.