In what’s been an up and down year for the UCF Athletics Association, more news tumbled in Monday as the University of Central Florida announced that Associate Athletics Director for Public Relations and Communications, Joe Hornstein, was released from his duties.
Chad Binette, Associate Director of UCF News and Information, will serve as the interim Athletics PR and Communications Director.
The University released a statement, saying “We thank Joe for his dedicated service and many contributions to our program and wish him well in all future endeavors.”
Hornstein follows the resignations of former Athletic Director Keith Tribble and UCF football wide receivers coach David Kelly, who stepped down after UCF was hit with allegations by the NCAA for improper recruiting practices.
Hornstein was in his fifth year in the Knights communication department. He also worked in community involvement and outreach programs.
It is unclear of why exactly he was relieved of his duties, but it was confirmed by UCF’s Grant Heston that the Hornstein departure is not connected with the NCAA recruiting allegations.
The recruiting allegations that have been following UCF for the past few months saw partial resolution today as the school responded to the NCAA.
UCF moved forward with further self-imposed penalties, including reductions in financial aid awards for men’s basketball, the vacation of wins from prior men’s basketball seasons and a reduction in recruiting days for football and men’s basketball.
“We are cooperating fully with the NCAA and addressing these issues in a responsible manner,” said Interim Director of Athletics Al Harms in a press release from UCFAthletics.com. “UCF is on the path to rebuilding a strong ‘culture of compliance’ that is consistent with our high standards of professional and personal conduct and our responsibilities to the NCAA.
“Our considerable self-imposed penalties, along with our previous personnel actions, are important parts of that process.”
Keep checking back for further news on this breaking story regarding UCF Athletics.
