I saw this over the weekend and was honestly shocked that Dan Wetzel, who is one of the biggest national sports writers out there, took on a story about a cross-country coach. That alone tells you how badly the NCAA messed this up. And the sad part is, none of this is new. The NCAA has been a disaster for years, getting sued over and over for situations just like this and breaking their own rules in the process. You’d think they would learn by now, but clearly they haven’t
Maybe the thread gets taken down when somebody comments that this (maybe suspiciously) media push seems to just happen to coincide with somebody floating the idea here that Nike is pushing to get Brosnan as coach of the world cross team.
If they don't like a particular post they can delete the post. It is insane that an article from ESPN regarding a track coach cannot be posted and discussed.
The NCAA is going to go down as one of the most corrupt agencies in modern sports. Remember when they planted fake evidence on the USC football staff and got crushed in court for it? This latest process is just more of the same, the same broken, dishonest NCAA that keeps cutting corners, losing lawsuits, and proving it can’t be trusted
It's pretty obvious that he tampered, by the letter of the law. I am sure several other college coaches have as well but he had made plenty of enemies within the sport by being outspoken but I think it's also what makes him a name in the sport. A double edged sword.
I still don't trust Brosnan without having exactlly what was communicated and patterns of communication over a long period of time. if it's in phone calls, only the patterns of communication matter. were these people not talking that much, and then suddenly starting talking daily, weekly or whatever?
I still don't trust Brosnan without having exactlly what was communicated and patterns of communication over a long period of time. if it's in phone calls, only the patterns of communication matter. were these people not talking that much, and then suddenly starting talking daily, weekly or whatever?
You’re exactly right. Read the report in full. He had communication just before and just after the athlete entered the portal. I don’t think they were talking about surfing.
This is a crazy case. The NCAA literally admitted there was no tampering , their own report says no recruiting, no inducements, no attempts to pull an athlete out of another program. No pre athlete contact. They cleared that part completely. And then, somehow, they still twisted the case into a penalty over a few phone calls that had nothing to do with recruiting. So on one hand they admit ‘no tampering happened,’ and on the other they punish him anyway. Makes zero sense, even by NCAA standards.
The reason ESPN took this on and obviously read the entire case and probably more than the public can see. The NCAA never had any actual evidence of tampering, no recruiting SA conversations, no inducements, no attempts to pull an athlete from another program, so instead of proving anything, they handed UCLA a cheap negotiated resolution that let the school avoid a fight and allowed the NCAA to clear the case quickly. UCLA took the easy way out, accepting minor penalties rather than spending time and money defending what the facts already showed. The problem is that once the NCAA locked in that deal, they’d already labeled Brosnan guilty before he ever submitted his own response. Then they made it worse by putting the same committee members who approved UCLA’s agreement in charge of Brosnan’s individual case, essentially asking them to reverse a judgment they’d already endorsed. It’s a biased, circular process that protected the NCAA’s “fast and efficient” system while leaving Brosnan hanging, punished for a violation the NCAA couldn’t even prove. I hope Brosnan gives it to them with his appeal with all the legal and non legal authority.
I still don't trust Brosnan without having exactlly what was communicated and patterns of communication over a long period of time. if it's in phone calls, only the patterns of communication matter. were these people not talking that much, and then suddenly starting talking daily, weekly or whatever?
The NCAA can’t make up facts. Under Bylaw 19.7.3, they must provide credible proof that recruiting occurred, which they never did. Instead, they punished him simply for communicating with long-time family friends. By their own rules, if no recruiting occurred, there is no violation, and their decision in this case directly contradicts that. The NCAA is got NG against their own bylaws. The NCAA is a kangaroo court
"The bylaw does not make a distinction between recruiting contact and non-recruiting contact," the COI wrote in its judgement. "Nor does it create any exceptions for preexisting relationships." It further noted that even if communication was personal in nature, "those relationships provided an advantage that other compliant coaches ... did not possess."
Now Brosnan himself said he was talking to these parents but it was personal in nature, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. According to what's said in this article, that's a violation.
Why does any criticism of Brosnan get immediately deleted?
I think most people would say this article is supportive of Brosnan, but there was an issue with the moderation system where these threads were being deleted today. Our apologies. We've fixed the issue. Email me
The NCAA’s public infractions release leaves out so many critical facts that it reads more like a defensive press statement than an honest summary, and that’s why they keep getting crushed in court. They intentionally leave out the core facts, the very ones that undermine their ruling including: Brosnan told both fathers he could not talk about transferring until their daughters entered the portal, and both fathers testified to this under oath. The NCAA admitted there was no recruiting language, no inducement, no pre student athlete contact and no attempt to influence enrollment at any time. Under Bylaw 19.7.3, the NCAA must provide credible, persuasive evidence and they provided zero. Their tampering theory contradicts Bylaw 13.02.14, which requires recruiting intent, something they never proved. The NCAA extracted 8,000 files from Brosnan’s phone before giving him any chance to review or withhold protected data. UCLA’s negotiated deal pre decided Brosnan’s guilt before he even submitted his response, creating a built-in conflict of interest that the NCAA never disclosed publicly. When you put the missing facts back into the picture, the NCAA’s narrative falls apart just like it has in the McNair case, the Miami fiasco, Alston, O’Bannon, and Penn State. The Brosnan case is simply the newest example of the NCAA burying the evidence that contradicts its own storyline. There is definitely a reason for ESPN picked up on this case.
"The bylaw does not make a distinction between recruiting contact and non-recruiting contact," the COI wrote in its judgement. "Nor does it create any exceptions for preexisting relationships." It further noted that even if communication was personal in nature, "those relationships provided an advantage that other compliant coaches ... did not possess."
Now Brosnan himself said he was talking to these parents but it was personal in nature, THAT DOESN'T MATTER. According to what's said in this article, that's a violation.
I’m an actual lawyer, so stay with me. This argument collapses the moment you actually read the NCAA’s rulebook instead of just repeating a line from the COI’s PR statement. The COI can claim “the bylaw doesn’t distinguish,” but the NCAA’s own bylaws absolutely do and they require proof the NCAA never had. Let’s be precise: 1. NCAA Bylaw 13.02.14 defines “recruiting” by intent to influence enrollment. If there is no recruiting intent, no recruiting conversation, and no inducement, then under the NCAA’s own definition, no recruiting violation exists. The NCAA itself admitted these calls were personal and non-recruiting. You cannot have “tampering” without recruiting. That’s not opinion , that’s the bylaw!
2. Bylaw 19.7.3 requires “credible, persuasive evidence” of a recruiting attempt. The NCAA had zero evidence of any recruiting talk and not a single message, not a hint of solicitation. They simply skipped the evidentiary requirement and declared guilt anyway. That is a violation of their own due-process standard.
3. The NCAA cannot override its own definitions just because it’s convenient. The COI invented a new interpretation “any contact = tampering” that does not appear anywhere in the bylaws. A private association cannot enforce rules that do not exist or reinterpret them after the fact. Courts have ruled this repeatedly.
4. Forcing a coach to sever personal friendships is not enforceable under law. The NCAA cannot tell a coach that he must end lifelong friendships simply because those friends have children at other schools. That violates basic principles of lawful association and would never survive a real legal challenge.
5. The NCAA’s own Transfer Working Group admitted the rule was never intended to apply to non-recruiting conversations. That’s from the NCAA’s own meeting minutes the COI simply ignored it because it didn’t support their conclusion.
BOTTOM LINE: The COI’s line in the article is not the bylaw, it’s their excuse for ignoring the bylaw. Under the NCAA’s actual rules: Recruiting requires intent. They proved none. Therefore no violation exists. The only thing the NCAA proved is that they’re willing to ignore their own rulebook when the outcome is pre-decided.
"The bylaw does not make a distinction between recruiting contact and non-recruiting contact," the COI wrote in its judgement. "Nor does it create any exceptions for preexisting relationships." It further noted that even if communication was personal in nature, "those relationships provided an advantage that other compliant coaches ... did not possess."
So if any collegiate coach talks to Ritz senior for the next 4-5 years, possibly about their own athletes joining OAC, that's an NCAA violation?
Not based in the US so may be missing something but that seems insane...
Why does any criticism of Brosnan get immediately deleted?
I think most people would say this article is supportive of Brosnan, but there was an issue with the moderation system where these threads were being deleted today. Our apologies. We've fixed the issue. Email me if you have any questions.
Obviously, this is a current topic that people should be able to discuss.
LRC deletes every single post even slightly critical of Brosnan. WHY? Even posts that copy and paste direct violations from his NCAA investigation report get deleted. Tame posts that joke about his alleged pro group get deleted.
Look at the thread that revealed his confirmed NCAA violations. Every single post that agrees with the NCAA's decision have been deleted.
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles Date: July 08, 2025 Violation Summary:Tampering violations occurred in the UCLA cross country and track and field programs when former assistant coach Sean Brosnan had imperm...
Why is LRC protecting Brosnan from even the most slight criticisms? While someone like Dave Smith gets TRASHED in every thread (and rightfully so) but those posts are allowed?
LRC note from Wejo: Email me if you have any questions about moderating. We are not out to protect Sean Brosnan and let Dave Smith get trashed. Rojo is personal friends with Dave Smith. Prominent coaches can be discussed on here. There was a breakdown in the moderating system and you can email me for more info wejo@letsrun.com
When coaching threads go off the rails, then we can lock them. Do not sidetrack this thread with questions about past moderating. I restored some posts in the thread above.