Former Tennessee and Southern Mississippi head coach Donnie Tyndall just got whacked by the NCAA.  Tyndall was handed a 10-year show-cause order that began Friday for elaborate plan to get prospects eligible to compete while he was the head coach at Southern Mississippi.  Here are the “highlights” of the penalties levied against Tyndall, some of his former staffers, and the Southern Mississippi basketball program (the complete PDF of NCAA findings can be found University of Southern Mississippi Public Infractions Decision):

• A three-year probation period to run consecutive to the present probation period. The three-year period will begin on Jan. 30, 2017, and run through Jan. 29, 2020.
• A two-year postseason ban for the men’s basketball team. The school will be credited for the self-imposed postseason bans during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
•  A 10-year show-cause order for the former head coach from April 8, 2016, through April 7, 2026. During that period, if the former head coach is employed by an NCAA school, he must be suspended by the employing school from all coaching duties. Following that period, any NCAA school that hires the former head coach must suspend him for the first 50 percent of the first season he is employed.
• A six-year show-cause order for the graduate assistant who completed online assignments for prospects and did not appear at the hearing. The period will run from April 8, 2016, through April 7, 2022. Any NCAA school employing the graduate assistant during that time must appear with him before a Committee on Infractions panel.
• A seven-year show-cause order for the graduate assistant who completed online assignments for prospects and refused to cooperate with the investigation. The period will run from April 8, 2016, through April 7, 2023. Any NCAA school employing the graduate assistant during that time must appear with him before a Committee on Infractions panel.
• A two-year show-cause order for a prospect’s prep school coach because he was employed at an NCAA school during the investigation. The period will run from April 8, 2016, through April 7, 2018. During this period, if he is employed by an NCAA school, the former prep school coach must attend an NCAA Regional Rules Seminar each year and meet monthly with the compliance officer to review recruiting and coaching activities. Also, the school must file reports with the Office of the Committees on Infractions every six months detailing the coach’s activities.
• An eight-year show-cause order for the former associate head coach from April 8, 2016, through April 7, 2024. Any NCAA school employing the former associate head coach during that time must appear with him before a Committee on Infractions panel.
• A vacation of wins in which the men’s basketball student-athletes participated while ineligible. The university will identify the games impacted following the release of the public report.
• A reduction of five men’s basketball scholarships over the next three years. The program reduced scholarships by one during the 2014-15 season and must reduce scholarships by a total of four over the next three years (self-imposed by the university).
• A $5,000 fine plus an amount equal to 1 percent of the average total budget for the men’s basketball team over the previous three years (self-imposed by the university).
• The university self-imposed the following recruiting restrictions:
  • A reduction in the number of men’s basketball official visits during the 2015-16 season by three.
  • A prohibition from hosting any unofficial visits for a period of 10 weeks before the beginning of the fall 2016 semester.
  • A restriction in recruiting communications with prospects by 10 weeks before the beginning of the fall 2016 semester.
  • A reduction in men’s basketball off-campus recruiting days during the 2015-16 season by 25.

Photo Courtesy Associated Press