Kansas will hire Tony Bland, who was implicated in the 2017 FBI investigation that threatened to alter the sport, as an assistant coach, a source told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Tuesday.
Bland, who worked as an assistant at Washington last season, was one of the 10 individuals arrested in a federal probe around a bribery scheme and accused of accepting money in exchange for steering pro prospects to specific individuals and their businesses.
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Bland, then an assistant at USC, subsequently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy after admitting that he accepted a $4,100 bribe from business managers and financial advisers to direct athletes to use their services.
Bland was sentenced to two years’ probation and did not serve jail time. He was also hit with a three-year show cause that expired last year, when Washington’s Danny Sprinkle gave him his first job since the FBI investigation.
Bland joins a Kansas squad that enters the year in a precarious situation, compared to past years for the storied program.
Bill Self was recently hospitalized for the second time in two years with a heart issue. He had two stents placed into his heart in July and is expected to make a full recovery. Two years ago, he missed multiple games, including the team’s 2023 NCAA tournament loss to Arkansas, with cardiac issues.
Bland joins a staff that also recently added former standout Jacque Vaughn as an assistant, too.
This year’s Jayhawks will lean on five-star prospect Darryn Peterson, who could be the first pick in next summer’s NBA draft.
