Petty Oklahoma State Gives Middle Finger To NCAA

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Oklahoma State gave the NCAA the quintessential “F- You” after seeing Kansas’s light punishment to recruiting violations. The Cowboys social media team posted a petty message online to note difference in treatment for the so-called “Blue Bloods” and everyone else.

OSU was banned from postseason play in 2022 after an FBI bribery investigation. Assistant coach Lamont Evans was accused of “unethical conduct” in that probe, though it was never found that the school successfully enrolled a player by these illegal means.

Furthermore, the NCAA punishment came with an entirely new staff in Stillwater, leading many to believe that the penalty wouldn’t be stiff.

The Cowboys were surprised to hear that a postseason ban, as well as probation and loss of scholarships would be handed down.

“A postseason ban for a bunch of kids that were 15, 16 years old when a lot of this was going on is completely, completely out of bounds,” said head coach Mike Boynton.

The NCAA had an opportunity to lay that same hammer on Big XII rival Kansas, who’s been in the midst of an investigation of its own. That investigation stemmed from the same federal corruption scandal that led to OSU’s penalty.

Instead of flexing its muscles on the college basketball darling, though, the NCAA went light.

The NCAA’s Independent Accountability Review Process announced Wednesday that Kansas’ five Level I allegations had been downgraded to a Level II case and that the program had received a three-year probation through Oct. 10, 2026.

Probation and vacated wins were the major hits, though no postseason bans were enforced.

College basketball fans were quick to comment.

“Bill Self went from having five Level I allegations to being handed one Level II violation… I can’t ever recall a coach coming out that unscathed after facing so many heavy charges,” one person wrote.

“The NCAA is so mad at Kansas, they put FAU on probation,” someone else said. “The NCAA will never punish programs like Kansas, it’s a joke at this point.”

Oklahoma State had a response of its own after seeing the NCAA’s punishment for the Jayhawks.