Today, Chip Kelly will meet with the media for first time as the active coach of the Eagles (by that I mean: he’ll be coaching actual players today), and some of the first questions he’ll have to answer… will be about recruiting violations at Oregon.

A report released late last night by the Oregonian details “major” violations during Kelly’s tenure as head coach in which the football program improperly used oral reports from a recruiting and scouting service:

The University of Oregon has agreed that its football coaches committed at least one major violation related to the NCAA’s ongoing investigation into the Ducks’ recruiting practices from 2008 to 2011. As a result, the university has proposed to self-impose a two-year probation for the football program and a reduction of one scholarship for each of the next three seasons.

The school and NCAA both agree that the violations were “major,” though, when it comes to the NCAA, that is a very relative term. Most seem to center on a talent scout, Willie Lyles, who provided the Ducks with oral reports when he was only permitted to provide written reports..

Oregon and the NCAA disagree on the severity of “Finding No. 2” in the summary disposition. As regulated by NCAA Bylaw 13.14.3, a recruiting service such as Lyles’ Complete Scouting Services is required to provide subscribers — in this case, Oregon — with written quarterly updates. UO agreed in summary disposition with the NCAA that it improperly used three recruiting or scouting services, Elite Scouting Services, New Level Athletics and Complete Scouting Services between 2008-2010 by accepting oral reports on players when only written reports and videos are permitted.

The implication is that Lyles, who received $25,000 from the school for his scouting, may have persuaded high school players, with whom he had relationships, to attend Oregon.

With all this coming out now (though it was certainly known about while Kelly was still at Oregon), it makes you wonder if Kelly’s vacillating between coaching and not coaching in the NFL had anything to do with him knowing that this sort of thing was coming.

Given what happened yesterday, all of this nonsensical NCAA stuff seems trivial, at best. These aren’t crimes, they’re not massive breaches of the public trust– they’re infractions of a silly system that, by its very nature, leads to a circumvention of the rules. It all seems… stupid. But Kelly will probably spend his first press conference talking about it.

UPDATE: That was quick– Kelly already released a statement saying that he won’t be talking about it further. This, of course, should be a challenge to Eagles writers. Let’s see who has the balls to challenge the new coach today.

The statement via Eliot Shorr-Parks:

“I am aware of recent reports and of ongoing investigation being conducted by NCAA and the University of Oregon. I know we were fully cooperative with all aspects of investigation and I will continue to contribute in any way that I can. But until the NCAA rules on the matter, I will have no further comment.”

Eagles PR machine getting good.