NCAA clears Ole Miss coach Chris Beard of further penalties

The NCAA has decided not to impose further penalties on Ole Miss men’s basketball coach Chris Beard following an infractions case involving tampering violations. The NCAA stated that Beard “was not personally involved in the violations, was not aware of the impermissible contact and promoted an atmosphere for compliance,” leading to an agreement that he would receive no additional sanctions.

The investigation found that former assistant coach Wes Flanigan engaged in impermissible recruiting conversations with an advisor for a student-athlete who had not yet entered the transfer portal. The athlete eventually entered the portal but chose to attend a different school.

Ole Miss has already agreed to serve several penalties related to the case, including two years of probation, a $455,000 fine, and a one-week ban on recruiting communications and prospective player visits. Additionally, the university reached a settlement regarding a failure to dissociate a booster, which included a two-year requirement to end the relationship with the booster and mandatory rules seminars for athletic director Keith Carter and an Ole Miss Athletic Foundation official.