Manhattan coach Steve Masiello signed a contract with South Florida stating all the information on his official bio on the Manhattan website was "true and accurate," according to documents obtained by ESPN.
On March 25, Masiello signed a five-year deal worth $6.06 million to become USF's coach. However, there was a provision on the contract -- item No. 10 -- stating if the information provided was "proved to be untrue within 30 days," USF may terminate the deal without any financial obligation. The USF contract referenced Masiello's bio on Manhattan's official website and even provided a link to the exact page.
About 12 hours after Masiello signed the USF deal -- and while USF was preparing a news conference to introduce him as the school's next coach -- the school's search firm discovered inaccuracies in Masiello's bio. Specifically, that Masiello did not graduate from the University of Kentucky in 2000, as indicated on his resume and official bio on the Manhattan website.
The next morning, on March 26, Kentucky spokeswoman Ashley Crossen told ESPN that Masiello attended UK from the fall of 1996 to the summer of 2000 but never earned his degree. Later that day, USF released a statement that it "determined the candidate's credentials could not be substantiated."
A few hours later, Manhattan announced that Masiello was put on leave while "reviewing his degree status with the University of Kentucky."
As of Monday afternoon, Masiello's status at Manhattan -- on leave and reviewing his degree status -- had not changed, said Manhattan spokesman Pete McHugh.
Meanwhile, earlier Monday, USF athletic director Mark Harlan announced the hiring of Kentucky assistant Orlando Antigua as the Bulls' new coach. Antigua, who is a graduate of Pittsburgh, received a five-year deal, sources told ESPN.