ACC fines Louisville, Virginia Tech for accepting WakeyLeaks intel

The ACC has issued institutional fines of $25,000, the highest allowed by league bylaws, to both Louisville and Virginia Tech for their part in the ongoing WakeyLeaks controversy

Jeremy Brevard—USA Today Sports Images
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons mascot stands on the court during a timeout in the second half against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 26.

The ACC has issued institutional fines of $25,000, the highest allowed by league bylaws, to both Louisville and Virginia Tech for their part in the ongoing WakeyLeaks controversy. It was determined following the league’s review of an internal Wake Forest investigation, along with subsequent discussions between the conference office and schools, that game plan information for four games was provided to three teams over the span of three seasons by the Deacons’ now-former radio analyst Tommy Elrod. The three schools involved are Virginia Tech in 2014, Louisville this past season and Army in 2014 and 2016. In addition to the fines, the ACC announced its support of Louisville’s suspension of offensive coordinator Lonnie Galloway for the Cardinals’ upcoming Citrus Bowl game. Galloway, who formerly worked at Wake forest, received the inside information from Elrod. Money collected from the fines will be directed to the ACC’s Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate account. “I am deeply disturbed something like this would occur, and regardless of the degree of involvement, the protection of the competitive integrity of our games is fundamental to any athletic contest,” commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. “Sportsmanship and ethical values are at the core of competitive integrity and in these instances, those were missing. The expectation, regardless of the sport, is that any athletics department staff members would immediately communicate with their supervisor if they are approached by someone from another institution with proprietary information.”