San Diego State announced Tuesday that the NCAA informed it that allegations from a CBS Sports Report that the school was under investigation for giving out improper benefits were unsubstantiated.
The article surfaced in September, just a few months away from when 2016 recruits were scheduled to sign their national letters of intent.
Five-star recruits like Michael Cage Jr. and T.J. Leaf had SDSU in their final list of choices for schools, but each decided to go elsewhere following the report, although neither have gone on the record saying that the report had an influence.
“I don’t know for sure that it did. I had one of the coaches of the one of the players that we were after and thought we had a great chance at, he told me he thought that was a difference,” Fisher said Tuesday. ” It’s never helpful. The unfortunate thing is allegations can be made by anybody, at any time, any place. And the organization, which is the NCAA, that we’re a member of, has an obligation to look into these. We were never under a formal investigation.”
Fisher said he was out recruiting when he heard the news, and before he was even able to talk to the recruits about the news himself, coaches and other recruiters had already sent them the report.
“It’s disappointing, but it’s not surprising. It doesn’t surprise you. Shades of gray are there,” Fisher said. “The first thing people say to cover themselves when they lose a recruit is, ‘You know what they had to do to get him.’ It shouldn’t surprise anyone when someone says that. If you were to say something, it’s, ‘I would never say that about you.’
The Aztecs take on San Jose State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Viejas Arena.
They have begun their conference play 2-0 with wins against Wyoming and Utah State.