NCAA suspended Myck Kabongo for 23 games

Texas sophomore Myck Kabongo has been hit with a 23-game suspension by the NCAA for accepting impermissible benefits and providing false statements during two separate internal meetings with university officials. The NCAA announced the decision Friday, two days after Yahoo! Sports reported Kabongo wasn’t honest regarding how he paid for a trip to Cleveland this past summer and would be hit with a season-long suspension. The Division I Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement modified the decision after hearing the university’s appeal Thursday. The Canadian point guard had developed a relationship over the last few years with agent Rich Paul, who recently split from Leon Rose and CAA. Paul also represents Kabongo’s close friends, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph, who both played at Texas. Kabongo, according to the NCAA, accepted airfare, personal training instruction and then provided false and misleading information during two separate interviews with university officials. As a result, Kabongo will miss 23 games and repay $475 in impermissible benefits to a charity of his choice. Kabongo has already missed the first 11 games of the season and won’t be eligible to play for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns until Feb. 13 against Iowa State in Austin. That will allow him to play the final eight regular-season contests.