The University of Iowa and the NCAA announced Wednesday that a negotiated resolution had been reached relating to the Hawkeye volleyball program’s previous violations of NCAA rules.

Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta announced June 19, 2019, that volleyball head coach Bond Shymansky had been fired. Shymansky violated NCAA rules by providing impermissible benefit to a prospective student-athlete.

Effective immediately, Iowa volleyball will serve a one-year probation period. During this period, Iowa volleyball will endure a recruiting penalty. Current head coach Vicki Brown and her staff will face a 3.75 percent reduction in prospect evaluation days. Additionally, UI Athletics has been fined $5,000.

The resolution also stipulates that Iowa volleyball vacate all of its wins from the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. It was during this period that Shymansky gave approximately $2,000 in cash to a then women’s volleyball prospective student-athlete.

The student-athlete arrived on campus near the end of May 2017. She was then notified that she was not academically eligible to receive athletics aid due to academic deficiencies that would require summer coursework. The student-athlete obtained a loan to pay for her summer courses, but she needed assistance paying for her living expenses.

The student-athlete then contacted the women’s volleyball staff seeking part-time employment opportunities to help cover her expenses. Shymansky told the student-athlete that she should not worry about getting a job, and should focus on her academics so she’d be eligible in the fall.

Shymansky provided the student-athlete with cash on two occasions to help with her expenses. His personal bank records show that on June 8, 2017 he withdrew $1,500. On that same day, Shymansky exchanged texts with student-athlete asking where she was. He told the student-athlete that he had something to give to her. Shymansky then drove to the student-athlete’s residence and gave her an envelope containing the $1,500 he withdrew.

On a second occasion, the student-athlete asked Shymansky for money. He gave the student-athlete an envelope in his office containing $500.

Shymansky originally defended his actions, claiming the money was an advanced payment on the wages the student-athlete would earn working his volleyball camp that summer. However, all parties agreed that the student-athlete was also paid for the working the volleyball camp, and that the cash advance was not paid back.

Shymansky and the student-athlete did not immediately notify anyone at the University of Iowa about their transactions. On May 1, 2019 the student-athlete met with Iowa’s associate director of athletics for student-athlete academic services. During the required meeting, the student-athlete revealed that Shymansky had provided her with cash to cover her living expenses during the summer of 2017.

The associate director for academic services reported the information to the associate director of athletics of compliance. Iowa immediately initiated an internal investigation. After Iowa submitted a self-report to the enforcement staff on June 13, 2019, the institution and NCAA enforcement staff conducted a collaborative investigation.

“I want to thank Barbara Burke, deputy athletics director, Lyla Clerry, associate athletics director for compliance, and Liz Tovar, associate athletics director for Academic Student Services, along with our UI general counsel,” Barta said in a release. “Their immediate and devoted attention and cooperation from the first day we were notified of possible infractions, played a vital role in the prompt and accepted resolution.

“While we are disappointed in the isolated events, we appreciate the quick action of the NCAA in reaching this resolution. We accept these findings and will move forward under head coach Vicki Brown and her staff.”

Shymansky faces a bevy of penalties for his actions. Should he be hired by any NCAA member school, he must be barred from taking part in activities related to athletics for two years. During the first year of penalties, Shymansky must be suspended from 30 percent of the club’s contests.