Antonio Pierce isn’t welcome in college football for 8 years. Here’s why

Pierce was part of a “program-wide effort to engage in impermissible recruiting activities during the COVID-19 dead period,” according to a decision released by a Division I Committee on Infractions panel.

He was given an eight-year show cause for the violations. That means if Pierce were to be hired as a college coach in the next eight years, he would be suspended for 100 percent of his first season of employment.

The Raiders declined to comment on the NCAA’s decision.

Pierce was Arizona State’s recruiting coordinator from December 2017 until his resignation in February 2022. His violations occurred during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, which lasted from March 2020 to June 2021.

In its decision, the NCAA said Pierce played a central role in a scheme in which he, other members of the football staff and an unnamed booster “arranged unofficial visits to the school for roughly one year during the COVID-19 dead period,” when no in-person recruiting activities were allowed.

The NCAA said during those visits, which occurred over 15 weekends, Arizona State staff members hosted a tryout, gave football facility tours and provided entertainment to 35 prospects and their families. Pierce arranged for or personally provided free meals, apparel, transportation and/or lodging for 27 of those prospects. He often had help from the booster, who was the parent of a then-football player.

In addition to the visits violating dead period rules, the meals, travel expenses and entertainment — which “included taking a prospect’s parents to a gentleman’s club,” according to the decision — were also impermissible recruiting inducements.

Eight of the prospects enrolled at Arizona State. They played in 19 games as ineligible players given the impermissible benefits they received.

Several members of the Sun Devils’ coaching staff said during their interviews with NCAA enforcement staff that Pierce “ran the show” within the program, according to the decision. They said they were afraid of losing their jobs if they did not do what he asked.

Pierce used his position to “pressure staff members into engaging in violations,” the decision said. He told an assistant coach to text and call a student-athlete that was enrolled at another school and was not in the transfer portal. The decision said the assistant coach sent the player at least 46 text messages and called him at least once.

Pierce and former Arizona State staff member Anthony Garnett, who received a four-year show cause, also traveled out of state to observe prospects and meet with prospects and their families during the COVID-19 dead period, according to the decision.

The NCAA said Pierce “failed on multiple occasions” to cooperate with its investigation. It said he participated in an interview with enforcement staff and acknowledged some facts about the unofficial visits, but “consistently denied” planning or arranging them. He also denied providing impermissible benefits to recruits or going out of state to evaluate players during the COVID-19 dead period.

The NCAA’s decision also said Pierce did not provide “pertinent financial documentation” requested by the enforcement staff.

Arizona State received four years of probation, an undisclosed fine, scholarship reductions and recruiting restrictions because of the COVID-19 dead period violations in April.

“The COVID dead period rules were created not only for the sake of competitive equity but for the safety and well-being of prospective and enrolled student-athletes and their families,” Arizona State president Michael Crow said in a statement in April. “ASU is disappointed and embarrassed by the actions of certain former football staff members who took advantage of a global pandemic to hide their behavior.”

Herm Edwards, the coach who took over the program in December 2017 and hired Pierce, was fired in September 2022. He finished 18-20 with the Sun Devils.

Pierce was hired as the Raiders’ linebackers coach not long after his resignation from Arizona State. He was promoted to interim head coach after Josh McDaniels was fired Oct. 31 and named the team’s full-time coach Jan. 19.

Pierce is 7-6 with the Raiders.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.