Frost gets 1-year show-cause order among NU’s penalties for misuse of special-teams analyst | Football

Nebraska football coach Scott Frost received a one-year show-cause penalty plus a five-day suspension from all coaching duties during the upcoming season for failure to appropriately monitor a special-teams analyst during the 2020 season. 

In a news release Monday, the NCAA said Nebraska violated rules for “countable coaches,” and that Frost violated head coach responsibility rules, according to an agreement reached by the Division I Committee on Infractions.

The university, Frost and NCAA enforcement staff agreed that a former special teams analyst — it was Jonathan Rutledge, although he wasn’t named in the NCAA release — provided technical or tactical instruction to players during practices and film sessions. He also assisted in tactical decisions during games. Because he was a non-coaching staff member, his instruction of players caused the program to exceed the number of 10 permissible coaches allowed by the NCAA. 

According to the NCAA, while Frost did address concerns about the analyst’s instruction of players with the analyst directly, he did not appropriately monitor the analyst or notify the school’s compliance staff that violations had occurred.

“As a result, the football head coach violated head coach responsibility rules,” according to the NCAA. 

The NCAA said the case was processed through the negotiated resolution process. The process was used instead of a formal hearing or summary disposition because the university, the involved coaches and the enforcement staff agreed on the violations and the penalties. The Division I Committee on Infractions reviewed the case to determine whether the resolution was in the best interests of the NCAA and whether the agreed-upon penalties were reasonable.

Negotiated resolutions may not be appealed and do not set case precedent for other infractions cases.

The university and the enforcement staff used ranges identified by the Division I membership-approved infractions penalty guidelines to agree upon Level II-mitigated penalties for the university and Frost. The decision contains the full list of penalties as approved by the Committee on Infractions, including:

* A one-year extension to the current probationary period (through April 2023).

* A one-year show-cause order for Frost, plus a five-day suspension from all coaching duties during the upcoming fall season — which begins with preseason camp in August and runs through December. (It hasn’t been determined when Frost will serve his suspension, but it is likely to be during a bye week this season).

* A reduction of the number of football countable coaches by one for two days of practice during the already completed spring 2022 season.

* All noncoaching staff members will be removed from practice and competition for five consecutive days during the upcoming season. 

A show-cause penalty essentially attaches NCAA penalties to a coach even if he or she were to move to a new school. If a school hires a coach under a show-cause, it can escape the coach’s penalties only by appealing to the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions to “show cause” on why it should not be under the same penalties.

Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts, in a prepared statement, said he’s pleased the matter is closed.

“We have had outstanding collaboration with the NCAA, and I want to thank the NCAA staff for their time and professionalism throughout this process,” Alberts said.

“It is important for the Nebraska Athletic Department and football program to put this matter behind us and turn our full attention to the upcoming season. We are pleased with the outcome and believe the negotiated resolution is fair and equitable. At Nebraska we are committed to running an athletic department that is fully compliant with all NCAA rules.” 

It should be noted that the NCAA determined that Nebraska’s workouts during the 2020 (COVID) offseason were permissible. Those workouts were raised as a potential violation in a report by The Action Network last August. 

It also should be noted that Rutledge directed a special teams operation that struggled mightily in 2020. In hiring Rutledge, Frost in March of 2020 said he “wanted somebody that could do the X’s and O’s and schematics off the field for our special teams and really train our coaches to go out and implement it with our players.”

In finishing the COVID-shortened season with a 3-5 record, Nebraska was 111th nationally in net punting. The Huskers allowed opponents to average 12.17 yards on punt returns (103rd). In addition, NU placed only eight punts inside the 20-yard line.

Iowa and Northwestern both dinged Frost’s crew with sizable punt returns. The Huskers lost close games in both cases in part because of poor special-teams play all around.

What’s more, Nebraska finished 94th nationally in kickoff returns with an average of 18.27 yards per return. That’s just slightly better than 2019, when NU averaged 18.13 (107th nationally).

Meanwhile, Nebraska’s opponents averaged 22.64 yards on kickoff returns (87th). Rutgers’ Aron Cruickshank roared 98 yards for a touchdown in NU’s season-ending victory in Piscataway, New Jersey. The Huskers won that game despite shoddy special-teams play. 

Nebraska did show marked improvement in field goals, with Connor Culp going 13-for-15 with a long of 49 yards.