Ex-NC State coach's attorneys question fairness of NCAA case

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Attorneys for former North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried are questioning the fairness of the NCAA process after he was charged with failing to adequately monitor the Wolfpack men's basketball program for violations, including during the recruitment of former basketball star Dennis Smith Jr.

In a response to NCAA charges filed over the summer, the attorneys say Gottfried — now coach at Cal State Northridge — fulfilled his obligations to monitor the program and was following NCAA rules. They also say the NCAA is improperly using court testimony last year by a government witness that he delivered $40,000 to former Wolfpack assistant coach Orlando Early intended for Smith’s family in 2015.

Specifically, attorneys Scott Tompsett and Elliot Abrams say NCAA bylaws prohibit its use in the infractions process because the court case it originated from is under appeal.

“The NCAA broke their own rule when they considered evidence from a court case on appeal and then relied on that evidence to charge Mr. Gottfried with a Level I violation,” they said in a statement to The Associated Press. “They should withdraw the allegation and let the court case run its course.”

The AP obtained a copy of Gottfried’s response from N.C. State through a public-records request Wednesday. The NCAA filed four charges in July in the wake of college basketball’s corruption scandal, with Gottfried charged individually under the provision of head-coach responsibility for violations within his program.

The NCAA has alleged that T.J. Gassnola was acting as an outside consultant of Adidas — which has an apparel deal with the school — to “ensure Smith’s commitment” to the Wolfpack with the payment.

Yet the school, which released its response Monday, states the NCAA has not proven money was actually...