NCAA imposes penalties on Raiders coach Antonio Pierce due to violations at ASU.
On October 3, the NCAA issued a significant penalty against Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, which will take effect if he ever returns to college coaching. The Division I Committee on Infractions announced that Pierce received an eight-year show-cause order for his involvement in recruiting violations during his time as associate head coach under former Arizona State University (ASU) coach Herm Edwards.
The committee stated that Pierce and former noncoaching staff member Anthony Garnett took part in a widespread effort to conduct improper recruiting activities during the COVID-19 dead period. If Pierce is ever hired by an NCAA program, he will face a one-year suspension. Garnett was handed a five-year show-cause order and a one-year suspension.
Earlier this year, four other ASU staff members accepted penalties for similar violations, but Pierce and Garnett chose to contest the charges. According to the NCAA, Pierce was a key figure in organizing impermissible visits for recruits and their families to Tempe, Arizona, during the pandemic, despite the in-person recruiting ban.
The NCAA’s investigation revealed that Pierce “ran the show,” and some staff members felt pressured to comply with his instructions out of fear of losing their jobs. Pierce served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at ASU from 2017 to 2021 before resigning ahead of the 2022 season. He later joined the Las Vegas Raiders as linebackers coach and took over as interim head coach on October 31, 2023, after Josh McDaniels was fired. Pierce was named the team’s permanent head coach in January.
