Louisville asst. Hurtt put on leave

Louisville defensive line coach Clint Hurtt has been placed on administrative leave while preparing to answer allegations of violations the NCAA says he committed while he was a Miami Hurricanes assistant.

Cardinals coach Charlie Strong said Friday Hurtt has been given time away from the program so he ''can concentrate on his case.''

Hurtt, 34, faces allegations of receiving and providing impermissible benefits while at Miami. The NCAA last month sent Hurtt and Louisville a letter stating that he received a $2,500 loan and provided perks to Hurricanes recruits.

The NCAA also said Hurtt provided false and misleading information during the investigation.

Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said last month Hurtt would remain on the Cardinals' staff while his case is pending but stopped short of saying he'd be with the program next season.

Hurtt has until May 20 to respond to the allegations.

Strong is handling Hurtt's defensive line duties during spring drills, which began on Wednesday. The coach also said Hurtt is not recruiting for Louisville while he prepares his response to the NCAA.

''We've given him that time and I think it's good that he's doing that,'' Strong said. ''With the many distractions, he just can't do the job that we're asking him to do right now.''

Hurtt, who played at Miami, was a Hurricanes assistant for eight seasons between 2001-09. He came to Louisville in 2010, Strong's first season as the Cardinals' coach.

Hurtt is one of three former Miami assistants the NCAA believes misled investigators during the Miami probe. Aubrey Hill and Jorge Fernandez were also accused of violating ''principles of ethical conduct.''

Several other former Miami coaches are named in the allegations as well, including one-time men's basketball assistant Jake Morton, who the NCAA said, among other things, accepted ''supplemental income'' of at least $6,000 from Miami former booster and convicted felon Nevin Shapiro.

Morton is now on the staff at Western Kentucky.

Miami is charged with a lack of institutional control, one of the worst allegations the NCAA can levy against a member school.

The NCAA has also revealed internal problems with its own investigative staff's handling of the Hurricanes' probe.

NCAA President Mark Emmert said in January that the organization discovered ''a very severe issue of improper conduct'' - specifically that the attorney for Shapiro was used ''to improperly obtain information ... through a bankruptcy proceeding that did not involve the NCAA.''

At least one of the people deposed by attorney Maria Elena Perez as part of Shapiro's bankruptcy case appeared under subpoena, and his testimony would not have been otherwise available to NCAA investigators. College sports' governing body does not have subpoena power.

The investigators who were involved are no longer with the NCAA.