Just hours after Penny Hardaway’s Memphis basketball program abruptly fired four coaches and staff members on Wednesday, the university’s athletic department also confirmed the existence of an anonymous letter allegedly detailing several NCAA rule violations within the program.

According to an athletic department spokesperson, Memphis has forwarded the letter, which Sports Illustrated first reported, to the NCAA.

It is not known whether the letter is related to Wednesday’s personnel restructuring, which took place nearly two months before the Tigers’ season opener.

Memphis did not disclose the contents of the letter.

“The NCAA generally does not comment on current, pending or potential investigations,” the NCAA said in a statement on the letter.

Among the alleged violations mentioned in the letter is Hardaway’s personal involvement in the recruitment of two players: one of whom ultimately attended Memphis and the other did not, according to multiple media outlets that obtained copies of the letter. Those cases allegedly occurred in 2020 and 2022, according to the reports. The letter also mentions academic violations in the 2023-24 academic year, the reports say.

As for the surprise firings of Memphis coaches, Hardaway noted in a statement released Wednesday that “the timing was not ideal” to part ways with the four coaches – assistant coach Rick Stansbury, head coach adviser Faragi Phillips, director of player development Jamie Rosser and recruiting coordinator Demetrius Dyson – but that he did so in the best interest of the team.

“I have made the difficult decision to take our team in a new direction,” Hardaway continued in his statement. “I want to give this team the best opportunity to achieve our goals of winning the American Conference and advancing in the NCAA Tournament. With the season quickly approaching, we will move quickly to complete the team.”

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The timing and magnitude of the layoffs so close to Memphis’ opener are odd enough, but especially when compared to the program’s overall turnover this season.

Five other staff members left the program over the summer – assistant coach Andy Borman, strength coach Darby Rich, director of basketball Garrett Kelly, director of recruiting Jeremy Kipness and director of analytics Andy Pennington. In Hardaway’s six seasons at the helm of his alma mater, personnel changes have been a recurring theme. And as for the roster, the Tigers have only one scholarship player back from last season after seven players left the program. Hardaway has added 10 new scholarship players since then.

Also notable about the timing of Wednesday’s announcement is the fact that it came six weeks after Ed Scott took office as Memphis’ new athletic director – replacing Laird Veatch, who held the same position at Missouri in May – and less than two weeks after Scott hired former Tiger Tim Duncan as assistant athletic director and athletic administrator for men’s basketball.

Violations like those alleged in Memphis’ letter to the NCAA are the latest in a series of missteps by Hardaway, who has been mired in off-court trouble since being hired in 2018. The recruiting of former top prospect James Wiseman led to an 18-month NCAA investigation, though the organization’s Independent Responsibility Resolution Process (IARP) ultimately ruled that Hardaway could not have violated NCAA rules because of his overall involvement with Memphis. In a separate investigation last year, Hardaway was suspended three games by the NCAA for other recruiting violations and violating a head coach’s responsibilities. Late last season, senior Malcolm Dandridge also missed Memphis’ final five games while the school investigated his eligibility.

While a potential investigation into the allegations in the letter could continue into this season — and likely even beyond — Memphis’ top priority has to be completing the rest of Hardaway’s staff. Not only is the team’s season-opening game against Missouri just two months away on Nov. 4, but the Tigers also begin practice later this month. One name to keep an eye on: former Duke and Louisville assistant coach Nolan Smith, who has sparked some rumors as a possible addition.

Hardaway will have to perfect those hires, though, especially in his pivotal seventh season as head coach. The Tigers started 15-2 last season and were ranked in the top 10, but fell apart as the season went on, losing eight of their final 15 games and missing the NCAA Tournament entirely. In six seasons, Hardaway has led Memphis to the Big Dance just twice, with just one win in those two combined appearances. (Hardaway’s Tigers also won the 2021 NIT.)

The 53-year-old’s contract, which was extended before the 2022 season, runs until the 2027/28 season.

Joe Rexrode and Chris Vannini of The Athletic contributed to this report.

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(Photo: Justin Ford / Getty Images)