NCAA Will Not Impose Sanctions On USD After Johnson Game-Fixing Case

 SAN DIEGO (AP) — The NCAA has accepted USD's submission of a secondary violation in the Brandon Johnson game-fixing case and will not impose sanctions against the school or its basketball program.

The NCAA said Tuesday that it found no improper conduct by any member of the university's staff or any other athletes.

Johnson and nine others were charged in federal court with running a sports betting business to fix West Coast Conference games.

Johnson pleaded guilty Nov. 16 to soliciting a team member to influence the outcome of a game through a bribe. He began serving a six-month prison sentence on May 31.

Former USD assistant coach T.J. Brown also pleaded guilty in November and was sentenced to a year in federal prison.

The NCAA did not begin its review of the infractions case until the criminal case was resolved. The infractions case was limited to Johnson's actions during the 2009-10 season.

"We appreciate USD's cooperation throughout the case," Jon Duncan, interim NCAA vice president of enforcement, said in a statement. "Sports wagering and point shaving are serious threats to student-athletes. When a student-athlete gets involved in point shaving, he or she is not only risking permanent ineligibility, but criminal charges and prison sentences are also real consequences."

USD sent letters to Johnson and Brown disassociating them from the university and its athletics program.

"As I've stated before, game-fixing charges cut to the very core of what college athletics is about in regards to competition, integrity and fairness," athletic director Ky Snyder said in a statement. "This was not a victimless crime. Student-athletes have questioned how much of their career was real. Like we do every year, we will continue our commitment to educating our student-athletes and staff on the perils of sports wagering and to maintaining the highest ethical standards in our athletics programs."

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)