Former Georgetown, URI tennis coach sentenced to prison in college admissions scheme

BOSTON (WLNE) — Former Georgetown and University of Rhode Island tennis coach Gordon Ernst was sentenced Friday.

Ernst was sentenced to two and half years in prison for his involvement in a nationwide college admissions scheme, where many coaches listed applicants as recruited athletes, even though some had never played sports.

Ernst accepted $2.7 million in bribes to help 12 students get into Georgetown as tennis recruits. He left Georgetown in 2018 after an internal investigation.

He was later hired by the URI. The university said they weren’t aware of the allegations.

Ernst resigned from the school after his arrest in 2019. He pled guilty in October.

As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended he spend no more than four years in jail.