Fansided

FBI probe prompts LSU to suspend Will Wade indefinitely

By Brad Berreman

BATON ROUGE , LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Head coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers reacts to a play during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE , LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Head coach Will Wade of the LSU Tigers reacts to a play during a game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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With apparent proof of an NCAA violation out there, LSU has moved quickly to suspend men’s basketball coach Will Wade.

As the FBI investigates recruiting misdeeds in college basketball, LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade name has been prominent virtually from the start. On Thursday Yahoo! Sports reported evidence of a wiretap which captured Wade openly talking about an offer to a recruit, and on Friday the school announced it has suspended him indefinitely.

Assistant Tony Benford will take over as interim head coach. The Tigers will finish the regular season Saturday against Vanderbilt, needing a win to secure their first SEC regular season title since 2009. They are the No. 10 team in the country right now, at 25-5, so they are a lock to make the NCAA Tournament regardless of the results they get in the SEC Tournament.

LSU President F. King Alexander and athletic director Joe Alleva released a statement announcing the suspension.

"Recent media reports regarding Coach Will Wade are without question concerning to all of us,” “As such, we and university officials have taken deliberate and purposeful steps to fairly assess and adequately address this situation. As we have done since media reports first surfaced months ago, we are closely coordinating with the NCAA with every step. They have our full cooperation and we will continue to report to them all facts and information on this matter."

Credit to LSU for moving quickly to suspend Wade, this year’s return to great relevance on the court be damned. The move is rooted somewhat in self-preservation though, as a proactive effort to avoid the full extent of NCAA sanctions on the men’s basketball program if/when Wade is concretely found to have committed one or more recruiting violations.

Any wins in games he coached would automatically be subject to being vacated, along with any broader accomplishments this year’s LSU team has, and thus wiped from the official NCAA record.

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The next question is Wade’s job security and whether he could be fired depending on the findings of this investigation. It would be a tough break for LSU considering the team is playing their best in years under Wade’s watch.