Jimbo Fisher issues statement after he, Texas A&M slapped by NCAA over minor violations

As required by The Association, the Texas A&M head football coach has issued a public mea culpa.

Thursday afternoon, the NCAA announced it had sanctioned the Texas A&M football program and Jimbo Fisher over a pair of minor violations committed between January 2018 and February 2019. Among other penalties, the Aggies were placed on probation for a year. Fisher, meanwhile, was given a six-month show-cause.

As part of Fisher’s punishment, the coach was required to issue a public statement addressing the NCAA violations. A short time ago, Fisher did just that.

As Texas A&M’s Head Football Coach, I am responsible for promoting and monitoring for NCAA compliance in our program. While I am disappointed in the violations, including an unintended one that resulted from a conversation with a high school athlete, it is still my responsibility to ensure we are adhering to each and every rule. I am pleased to have this matter completely behind our program and look forward to continuing our efforts to make every aspect of our program one all Aggies can continue to be proud of.

According to the Committee on Infractions, Fisher “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance because of his personal involvement in the recruiting violation.” Fisher was also accused of failing to monitor his coaching staff, which led to the allowable-hours violation. That resulted in the NCAA issuing its show-cause order. Fisher had previously served a nine-day ban on phone calls/emails/texts with recruits in January of this year as well as a reduction in off-campus recruiting from December 2019-January 2020. Fisher will also be banned from all off-campus recruiting activities throughout the fall contact period.

“Since I arrived at Texas A&M, I have seen up close and personal Coach Fisher’s commitment to integrity and following the rules,” Ross Bjork, hired as athletic director in May of 2019, said in his statement. “I appreciate his response, including actions taken during the process itself. As a result, the program moves forward and remains on track in both our short- and long-term quest for excellence. This will have no impact on our current student-athletes, the 2020 post-season, or our pursuit of championship success on and off the field.”