(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) The NCAA hit Southern California's men's basketball program with two years' probation on Thursday because a former assistant coach violated NCAA ethics rules when he accepted a bribe to steer players to a business management company.

The Division I Committee on Infractions announced the penalties, which include a $5,000 fine and a 1% loss of the private school's basketball budget. The probation, which does not include a postseason ban, runs until April 14, 2023.

Tony Bland, the former associate head coach under coach Andy Enfield, wasn't mentioned by name in the NCAA report. He was arrested by FBI agents in September 2017. USC fired Bland four months later. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in January 2019 and cooperated with the NCAA's investigation.

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