MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Shelby County Congressman David Kustoff is sponsoring a bill that would force the NCAA to change the way it investigates and punishes member schools accused of breaking the rules.
Kustoff (R-Memphis), who introduced the bill Tuesday, told ESPN he believes certain teams are punished more heavily than others.
“The NCAA is a monopoly with no oversight,” Kustoff told ESPN. “The NCAA acts as investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner. [Our bill] sets up a framework. The NCAA can still do their jobs, but with more constraints.”
The bill would limit the time frame in which the NCAA can investigate to two years, and gives schools the option to appeal sanctions.
Kustoff is a graduate of University of Memphis, where all eyes were on coach Penny Hardaway, the Tigers and then-freshman James Wiseman, who ended up being found ineligible to play by the NBA in 2019.
The association found that Hardaway — at the time, an alum and booster who was coaching at East High School — helped Wiseman’s family with moving expenses to move to Memphis, long before he was even considered as U of M’s coach.
Wiseman left U of M after playing just a handful of games and went on to be drafted by the Golden State Warriors.