Former women’s basketball associate coach Patrick Klein calls out a play from the sideline during an OSU basketball game. Credit: Courtesy of OSU Athletics
Ohio State’s women’s basketball, fencing and women’s golf teams have all received a self-imposed postseason ban for the 2020-21 season following results from the investigation of former women’s basketball associate coach Patrick Klein.
The process began with an investigation by Ohio State into its fencing program following a student-athlete reporting NCAA rule violations April 5, 2018, according to documents obtained by The Lantern. This investigation expanded to include women’s basketball as well as women’s golf, and after a decision by the NCAA that the initial self-imposed penalties were not enough, the university elected to ban the three programs from the 2020-21 postseason.
“The Ohio State University Department of Athletics is currently working cooperatively with the NCAA Enforcement Staff on an infractions case involving three sports programs: fencing, women’s golf and women’s basketball,” a Department of Athletics statement reads. “Ohio State has self-imposed post-season competition bans for each of the sports for the 2020-21 year. As always, we are focused on supporting our student-athletes. NCAA rules and procedures prohibit us from sharing more information at this time.”
The investigation shows that Klein committed multiple recruiting violations and provided extra benefits to recruits and student-athletes. Among the violations were recruiting inducements, impermissible recruiting communications and allowing impermissible assistance in the recruiting process, the investigation reads.
On top of recruiting violations, the investigation shows that Klein provided gifts to student-athletes as well as provided money for meals.
Klein — who spent eight seasons on the women’s basketball coaching staff and was elevated to the associate head coaching position prior to the 2016-17 season — resigned from the program in 2019.
The investigation resulted in the changing of Klein’s “retirement” to “retirement in lieu of termination.” Fencing coach Vladimir Nazlymov received the same distinction.
Nazlymov announced his retirement April 13, 2018.
The women’s golf team was penalized due to Countable Athletically Related Activities violations — including CARA overages and miscalculations. The preliminary negotiation report shows that head coach Therese Hession regularly kept the team at practice longer than the scheduled practice time and did not ensure the accuracy of the team’s CARA logs.
Hession is “presumed responsible,” according to the summary disposition report.
This is a developing story and will be updated with new information.
