Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce has been sentenced to eight years of probation for violations that occurred while he was an assistant coach at Arizona State University, the NCAA announced Thursday.
Most of the violations involved what the NCAA called a “scheme” that Pierce orchestrated to circumvent restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pierce facilitated impermissible recruiting contacts with 35 prospects, including “tryouts, football facility tours and entertainment.” It was also determined that he instructed assistants to manipulate players who enrolled at other schools and traveled out of state to observe and meet with prospects during recruiting hiatuses.
“In reaching the eight-year show cause order against Pierce, the panel emphasized Pierce’s role in orchestrating the recruiting violations,” according to the NCAA’s report.
If Pierce is hired by an NCAA school during the show cause order, which runs until Oct. 2, 2032, he will be suspended for his first football season and not be allowed to have any contact with coaches or anyone else in the program. Players during that period.
During the investigation, Pierce allegedly provided “false or misleading information” and was unwilling to provide his financial records, according to the report. An ASU employee told the NCAA that Pierce “did not fear potential consequences for NCAA violations due to the financial security provided by his self-proclaimed wealth.”
“Pierce used his position of authority to pressure employees to commit violations by instilling in them the fear that they would lose their jobs if they did not follow his orders,” the report states.
The NCAA also issued a five-year show cause order against former ASU football analyst Anthony Garnett for his role in the violations. Garnett will be suspended for one season if he is hired for the next five years.
The 67-page report states that former ASU booster Regina Jackson, the mother of current Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, helped set up unacceptable campus visits and other violations. It is mentioned several times that . Daniels transferred from ASU to LSU after the 2021 season, won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 and was selected with the second pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Commanders.
Last April, the NCAA slapped ASU with four years of probation, an undisclosed fine, leaving games open for ineligible players to compete in, reducing scholarships and restricting recruiting.
Pierce was hired by ASU coach Herm Edwards in December 2017 and promoted to assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator in February 2020. Edwards, who currently works at ESPN, was fired after the Sun Devils went 1-2 to start the 2022 season. . The NCAA said in April that he was found to have committed a “violation of responsibility.”
Pierce resigned from ASU in 2022 and was hired as the Raiders linebackers coach. He was named the Raiders interim coach in October 2023 and hired permanently in January.
The Raiders declined to comment Thursday.
ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez contributed to this report.
