Utah baseball's Bill Kinneberg to likely face game suspensions after NCAA violation


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SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah baseball manager Bill Kinneberg faces a potential suspension in the upcoming season following an investigation by the university, Utah athletics director Chris Hill announced Monday.

The investigation stems from a letter to the athletics department from a concerned parent of a former athlete. The letter detailed several instances in which the well-being of the athletes was called into question, including allegations of faulty equipment, medical care and drug abuse.

Hill said the university hired an “outside group” — the law firm of Bond, Schoenick & King PLLC — and involved its legal counsel to conduct an internal investigation into the baseball program. As part of the investigation, it was found that Kinneberg had committed an NCAA rules violation.

The actual violation, however, was not made known because the NCAA was still reviewing Utah’s report, Hill said. He added that the violation was an “isolated incident” and that it didn’t not involve issues related to academics, funding or recruiting.

As part of the investigation, Utah found the violation and self-reported it to NCAA, Hill said. The report sent to the NCAA included what the university believed to be “the appropriate disciplinary actions.” The NCAA will then review the report and choose to accept Utah’s disciplinary actions or adjust them based on their findings, Hill added.

The review process by the NCAA should be a relatively short process, Hill said, as the violation fits within the reporting “grid” outlined by the collegiate governing body. Because the university self-reported the incident and set a recommendation, the response is relatively “automatic and there’s not much change in it.”

Hill added that Kinneberg has been cooperative throughout the investigation and understands what is happening.

“In terms of the NCAA stuff, he’s a straight shooter, there’s no question,” Hill said. “He understands that if something went wrong, he deals with it.”

In a prepared statement, Kinneberg said: “Student-athlete safety, development and success, both on and off the field, has and always will be my top priority and the top priority of the program. I trust the university and the process as we move forward in addressing concerns.”

Hill said there will be additional disciplinary actions taken internally with other team personnel, but that he didn’t want to spend time discussing “personal issues in the public.” However, Hill confirmed that there would be no players suspended as a result of the investigation.

In a report to the NCAA, investigators said they found no “misconduct by Kinneberg or his staff toward student-athletes.” The report added that other issues investigated were not “detrimental to the safety and well-being of student-athletes, student managers or anyone associated with the program.”

The investigation reviewed several complaints against the program, but the report says there was “insufficient evidence” to corroborate most allegations. Those allegations include:

  • Injuries as a result of faulty equipment
  • Failure of full-time staff to accompany and transport injured athletes to receive medical care
  • Drug abuse among several athletes
  • Staff member requesting prescription medication from athlete
  • Culture of partying and other “inappropriate conduct”
  • Student managers asked to perform duties outside baseball role
  • Alcohol misuse by coaches on the road
In its findings, investigators found that one injured student-athlete was taken to the emergency room by his roommate — a student manager — instead of the full-time staff to receive “additional medical care.” Additionally, the report says Kinneberg asked a student manager to buy beer for him on approximately three occasions. The student was 21-years-old at the time of the purchase, but that it was outside his duties as a manager on the team.

As a result of the findings, the university recommended that all injured athletes are taken to get medical care with a full-time member of the staff, the baseball program should have a team curfew during road games and “additional education should be provided to coaches regarding athletics department policies related to alcohol use during” away games.

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