Vols' intern Rubio linked to major recruiting violations at Central Florida

Steve Rubio has served his time.
His old employer is just now starting its punishment after receiving a verdict on violations involving the Tennessee recruiting intern and former Central Florida director of player personnel.
The Knights and the NCAA jointly announced two years of probation for major rules infractions linked to Rubio and another former staff member on Thursday, stemming from an investigation that started after Rubio was hired by the Vols. Including an issue with a visit to a high school in South Florida with former coach Lane Kiffin, this is the second time he has been tied to possible recruiting violations since coming to UT last summer.
Both of them have already been dealt with by either the Vols or the NCAA though, and Rubio isn’t facing any additional punishments.
“It’s all behind him,” UT athletic director Mike Hamilton said. “That investigation started subsequent to his employment at the University of Tennessee, and he cooperated fully with the questions he was asked and with the involvement of our compliance office and the NCAA.”
The NCAA handed him a two-week suspension for his role in the problems at Central Florida, which included 209 improper phone calls and approximately 100 text messages to recruits or their parents during a period from June 2007 to January 2009 between Rubio and another staff member. Since Rubio wasn’t a member of the coaching staff, he would not have been allowed to make any phone contact with a recruit, and text messages have been banned since August 2007.
Rubio’s punishment has already been handled for that incident, and UT also dealt with his second issue relatively quickly and moved on.
The Vols self-imposed a penalty for his visit early last season along with Kiffin and then-assistant Eddie Gran to St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Rubio’s alma mater. Though he isn’t believed to have contacted any recruits, which likely would have led to a secondary violation , UT barred interns from going with coaches on the road for visits for a year.
“Those issues have been dealt with,” Hamilton said. “Rubio is moving forward.”
He’ll do so without facing any additional discipline. Central Florida’s is just getting underway.