Clint Hurtt Will Remain At Louisville

U of L assistant Clint Hurtt finally learned his fate from both the NCAA and U of L on Tuesday, and it's a bit of a mixed bag.

First came word that Hurtt had been with a two-year show-cause penalty for transgressions he committed during his time at Miami. The most damning part of the NCAA's report for Hurtt was the assertion that he and former Hurricanes assistant Aubrey Hill "provided false or misleading information to Miami and the [NCAA] enforcement staff during the investigation."

Here's the relevant chunk of the report:

Despite this, U of L announced afterward that Hurtt would remain on the Cardinal coaching staff. Athletic director Tom Jurich issued the following statement on the matter:

The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions today issued its infractions report concerning the University of Miami, and the University of Louisville now knows the resolution of the allegations concerning our Assistant Football Coach Clint Hurtt. In its report, the Committee on Infractions acknowledged the seriousness exhibited by Louisville in this matter and accepted the significant penalties placed upon Clint by me.

Throughout the Miami inquiry, even though Louisville had limited knowledge of all the facts in the case, I was troubled by the involvement of Clint in any possible allegations.  As a result, I undertook several actions based upon this knowledge, including expressing my concern to him about his possible previous and any future involvement in violations, undertaking additional monitoring and educational activities of him, and imposing penalties upon him based at least on his acknowledged involvement in some violations.  Once the Notice of Allegations was issued, we had additional conversations about additional possible penalties. These were subsequently imposed and remain in effect.

I thank the Committee on Infractions for its acknowledgment that Louisville took this issue seriously and imposed significant penalties upon Clint that impacted our overall football program. I believe this was a factor in the Committee's willingness to accept the institution's further proposed actions that will be imposed upon Clint.

NCAA compliance is of utmost importance to the University and me.  Clint understands that importance, and I believe he recently has acted appropriately in his activities involving Louisville's football program.  Clint's penalties will continue throughout this academic year, and the institution will continue to ensure that he remains "a model citizen" within the football program.  Clint's actions in the Miami case were significant, and any similar activities here will not be tolerated; however, he has willingly accepted the significant penalties opposed upon him by Louisville and those adopted by the Committee on Infractions.  I've had four years to watch Clint and his actions at UofL.

Clint has learned much from this experience and, as a result, is aware of his responsibilities to his profession, to Coach Strong, and the University.  While we anticipate his continued "model citizen" approach toward NCAA compliance will continue, his penalties will remain in effect.

Jurich later met with the media and reiterated his stance, saying that if Hurtt's infractions had occurred during his time at U of L then he would have been fired. He attributed the assistant's mistakes to youth, and also disagreed with the NCAA's assertion that Hurtt had been dishonest with them.

"When I did is look at all of the unusual circumstances around this," Jurich said. "We've only had a chance to judge Clint for the four years he's been with us and he's been a model citizen since he's been here. I think he's learned from his mistakes and to his best recollection he was honest about his involvement."

Both Hurtt and Charlie Strong will be talking to the media after practice this evening.

A great show of loyalty or a move which compromises U of L's integrity? I think we know which way the national media is going to lean, but what say you?