In the conversation, Gassnola and Self talk about how the recruiting sphere works for the apparel companies.

Be sure to read the full Yahoo Sports article here. Sports published a report, based on "hundreds of pages of documents" obtained by the FBI from two agents and an agency implicated in the investigation, that named more than a dozen additional schools and over 25 current and former players as having been potentially implicated in the scandal. This reaches the highest levels of Nike. On Tuesday, March 19, Avenatti and his unnamed co-conspirator met with Nike attorneys and laid out his alleged extortion plan. As expertly explained by Michael McCann, a legal analyst for Sports Illustrated: Avenatti utilized an array of bullying phone calls, a hostile in-person meeting and terrorizing social media posts to threaten Nike with severe damage to the companys brand. The 201718 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal is an ongoing corruption scandal, initially involving sportswear manufacturer Adidas as well as several college basketball programs associated with the brand[1][2][3] but now involving many programs not affiliated with Adidas. Please check your email for a confirmation. There are still a lot of questions, after all, that have gone unanswered. [4], On September 27, 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced the arrest of 10 individuals, including assistant coaches Anthony Bland, Chuck Person, Emanuel Richardson, and Lamont Evans and Adidas executive James Gatto, on various corruption and fraud charges including bribery, money laundering, and wire fraud. Related:Unnamed Kentucky basketball assistant mentioned inAvenatti'sallegations, Also:Nike wanted to pay Romeo Langford $20K in high school,Avenatti claims. It claimed that the California youth coach that Avenatti represented, Gary Franklin, was pressured by Debose and Nike EYBL manager Jamal James to engage in a pattern of misconduct or risk losing his Nike EYBL-sponsored team. On the same day Evans was fired, Antwann Jones, a guard ranked by ESPN as one of the top 50 players in the recruiting class of 2018, rescinded a verbal commitment he had made to the program less than two weeks earlier. You can read the full complaint here. Adidas had a well-established relationship with both Smith and NC State, as Smith was playing for an Adidas-sponsored AAU team at the time, and NC State was then (as now) an Adidas-backed program. And I know I am RIGHT.

Sexton would later be cleared to play for Alabama starting with their November 14 game against Lipscomb. Code spent 14 years working at Nike before joining Adidas. Another member of KU's 2017 recruiting class, Silvio De Sousa, was linked to illicit payments in the 2018 indictments. ALL OF IT.. Smith would sign a financial aid agreement with the school in December of that year. Dawkinswanted to payfuture Kentucky guard Ashton Hagans a monthly stipend, according to ESPN. The coach, Avenatti asserted, had evidence that one or more Nike employees had authorized and funded payments to the families of top high school basketball players and/or their families and attempted to conceal those payments. Avenatti apparently named three specific former high school players. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Before Auburn's exhibition game on November 2, 2017, the school announced that it would hold players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy out of games indefinitely due to eligibility concerns raised over the FBI investigation. All [Coach-2] has to do is pick up the phone and call somebody [and say], 'These are my guys.' The Louisville athletics board officially voted to fire Pitino on October 16. Obviously, he could lose his license to practice law, but that seems like the least of his issues. Just after 3 a.m. [1] The documents indicate that Brad Augustine, a youth basketball coach in Florida who was among the individuals arrested, said the following about "Coach-2":[25], No one swings a bigger dick than Coach-2 at Company-1. Gentry Estes: 502-582-4205; gestes@courierjournal.com; Twitter:@Gentry_Estes. [9][10] Sources close to the investigation told Yahoo! Support strong local journalism by subscribing today:courier-journal.com/gentrye. [4], Markelle Fultz, who played a season at Washington before leaving to become the top pick in the 2017 NBA draft, allegedly received $10,000 from ASM. [27] In addition, two five-star high school recruits who had verbally committed to join the Louisville program in 201819, Anfernee Simons and Courtney Ramey, rescinded their commitments and reopened their recruitment. [13] However, unlike Shareef O'Neal, Williams decided to recommit to Arizona on May 5, 2018.

David Roddy looks like an NFL tight end, but the Colorado State standout has a unique set of skills. [7] Shortly afterwards, multiple media reports indicated that the Elite Youth Basketball League, the grassroots basketball division of Nike, was served with a subpoena by federal investigators. [16] Person was indicted by a federal grand jury and subsequently fired by Auburn on November 7, 2017. It dropped names, including current NBA rookies like Zion Williamson and former New Albany High School star Romeo Langford. ESPN reported that Miller would coach the team that night against Stanford, with Miller confirmed to remain the coach for Arizona throughout the rest of this season, as well as a bit further beyond that.

Another document said that Smith had received over $70,000 in loans, with the document also including notes about "how to recoup the money" after Smith chose not to sign with ASM Sports. [17] In the wake of the indictments, the university retained an outside law firm to launch an internal investigation into the program.[18]. [35] The documents allege that a UM coach identified only as "Coach-3" requested that Gatto arrange a $150,000 payment from Adidas to the family of a top high school player identified as "Player-12" in an attempt to keep him from signing with a "University-4" that was sponsored by a rival apparel company. said upon being fired as Georgias head coach, Rick Stansbury told the Courier Journal in 2017, 'I love the University of Louisville': Rick Pitino says he'd return to the city, whom a motion was filed Wednesday in federal court, Unnamed Kentucky basketball assistant mentioned inAvenatti'sallegations, Nike wanted to pay Romeo Langford $20K in high school,Avenatti claims, New Albany High School star Romeo Langford, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Tmrw at 11 am ET, we will be holding a press conference to disclose a major high school/college basketball scandal perpetrated by @Nike that we have uncovered. [13] Nassir Little, also a five-star recruit, cited the investigation as his reason for deciding against attending Arizona. "Among other things, the Nike executives directed Coach Franklin to make multiple payments for the benefit of amateur players in violation of NCAA rules and federal criminal law," the motion said. [48], In April 2021, the USC men's basketball program was put on probation for two years and fined $5,000, plus one percent of the program's budget. Well, Monday a little past noon the timeline is important here Avenatti tweeted an announcement that he planned to hold a press conference Tuesday to drop what he clearly thought was massive bombshell information. [60] The University attempted a plea deal acknowledging the payment to De Sousa was used to cover an online class. Kentuckys offense could see several new faces become impact players early on this season. [4], The mother of then-current Michigan State star Miles Bridges reportedly received several hundred dollars in advances from ASM. [1] Auburn suspended Person without pay shortly after his arrest. [49], On February 23, 2018, FBI wiretaps reportedly showed that head coach Sean Miller had discussed with Dawkins about paying Deandre Ayton $100,000 to facilitate Ayton's commitment to the University of Arizona, with the monetary situation being dealt with directly to him. [31] Two days later, the university's board of trustees voted 103 to fire Jurich with cause.

[1] He has since stated that there were also payments made to players in efforts to attend the Penn State football program. During that meeting, Dawkins was said to have asked Pitino to call Gatto and request the $100,000 payment to Bowen's family, and Pitino reportedly agreed to make the call to Gatto. Former Adidas consultant Merl Code, Jr., is heard on a recording from a conversation with investigators in June of 2017 saying that, Nike schools pay, too. Code worked at Nike for 14 years before joining Adidas. Power forward Shareef O'Neal, son of Hall of Fame player Shaquille O'Neal and rated as a top-30 prospect, announced on February 24 that he was rescinding a commitment he had made in April 2017 to play at Arizona. By now, everyone is familiar with the shoe company pay-for-play scandal in college basketball. Montgomery latest 5-star recruit to commit to Kentucky", "Louisville basketball has an FBI investigation to worry about while still on NCAA probation", "University of Louisville college basketball program targeted in FBI investigation", United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, "Rick Pitino identified as 'Coach-2' mentioned in federal court documents", "Louisville's Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich placed on administrative leave", "Brian Bowen, Louisville player implicated in indictment, reportedly suspended indefinitely", "With Rick Pitino Out of the Picture, Louisville Loses Two Five-Stars from 2018 Recruiting Class", "Trinity Guard David Johnson Commits to Louisville", "Louisville basketball recruiting takes another hit, and it'll be a long road to recovery", "Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino Officially Fired", "Louisville fires athletic director Tom Jurich after scandal", "Federal Bribery Indictments Unsealed Against NCAA Coaches", "Louisville settles with ex-AD Jurich for $4.5M", "UM acknowledges probe; Larraaga denies knowing identity of 'Coach-3', "Oklahoma State fires associate head coach Lamont Evans amid FBI investigation", "Antwann Jones, No. So in some form or fashion, Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Kentucky and all of the schools are doing something to help get kids.

"Nike schools pay too," Code said in a conversation recorded by federal investigators in 2017, per Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. The indictment also claimed that an NC State coach identified only as "Coach-4" was the conduit for this payment. And follow along with A Sea of Blue for all your Kentucky Wildcats news and updates.

Person was accused of paying nearly $20,000 to the families of two active Auburn players.

Louisville was not named directly in the court documents, but the documents mentioned a "University-6" that was "a public research university located in Kentucky" with "approximately 22,640 students and over 7,000 faculty and staff members", and fielding "approximately 21 varsity sports teams in NCAA Division I competition. Justin Edwards has already made his decision with UK trending heavily. The confirmation came the day after the attorney for UM head coach Jim Larraaga said that the coach was unaware of any impropriety in the program. Thats just a part of the space.. Avenatti was released on a $300,000 personal recognizance bond and had to surrender his passport, CBS News reported. Nike had recently declined to renew the coachs contract, which paid him about $72,000 a year. [38], Evans was sentenced to three months in prison in June 2019 for his participation in the scheme, which he also conducted at the University of South Carolina. [33], The April 2018 indictments specifically charge Dawkins and Adidas consultant Merl Code with conspiring with Gatto to commit wire fraud and pay the aforementioned $100,000 to Bowen's family.

was going to scare Nike into a huge payoff is completely f'ing hilarious. The April 2018 indictments raised more serious issues surrounding the Kansas program, which is also sponsored by Adidas. At the very least, its getting more difficult for the NCAA to ignore this situation, and it doesnt look like its going away anytime soon. Be sure to read the full Yahoo Sports article here. Sports that this player was Billy Preston, who committed to KU in November 2016 and enrolled at the school in 2017. Pope was withheld from the team's February 24 game against San Jose State[61] while the school launched an internal investigation into the allegations. You might have heard Michael Avenatti is back in the news and somehow maybe involved in a sports scandal, but youre not really sure whats going on. Its a corrupt space as it is and cheating is cheating. Also, combined with the bank and wire fraud charges, he could be staring at nearly 100 years if convicted on all counts, per CNBC. And of course, the internet had jokes. Emanuel "Book" Richardson, an Arizona assistant since 2009, was among the individuals arrested and indicted in 2017. Additionally, then-current Wildcats player Kevin Knox was listed among several players who had met or dined with Dawkins, or whose families had done so. i think avenatti has discovered scamatuerism. [4], Then-current San Diego State player Malik Pope allegedly received $1,400 from ASM. And thats why its worth to paying attention this week to the case involving attorney Michael Avenatti, for whom a motion was filed Wednesday in federal court arguing for dismissal of charges against him for allegedly engaging in a scheme to extort Nike. And you happy. Per a report byAdam Zagoria of TheCharlotte Observer, "Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend discussed financial requests of the family of Duke freshman Zion Williamson during a phone call" with Code. [45] The charges allege that Bland and others allegedly received benefits from financial advisers and others to influence student-athletes to retain their services. On October 6 the University of Louisville placed associate head coach Kenny Johnson and assistant coach Jordan Fair on paid administrative leave, and Fair would be fired by Louisville on October 11. Whether I give you a dollar, 100,000, or I get your mom and dad jobs, its cheating. De Sousa, who had been considered by most recruiting experts as a virtual lock to attend Maryland, committed to Kansas on August 30, 2017. Its unclear if those players are now in college basketball or the NBA, but they were presumably top recruits. [62], Former Clemson star Jaron Blossomgame reportedly received a payment of $1,100 while at the school. Gatto and the coach of an Adidas-sponsored AAU team were alleged to have given at least $90,000 to the mother of a KU recruit between October 2016 and November 2017 in exchange for the player's commitment to the school.

Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 25, 2019. [4], Former LSU player Tim Quarterman allegedly received at least $16,000 from ASM while at the school. The freshman has brought his colorful hair and personality to the pre-draft process. It means a lot to me. [4] An internal Michigan State investigation found that allegations that Bridges' mother had received about $400 in cash from Dawkins were false, but confirmed that Dawkins had paid slightly over $70 for a dinner with Bridges family members (though without the player present). He was alleged to have met with agent Christian Dawkins and others in June 2017, agreeing to accept a $5,000 bribe to steer Arizona players to Dawkins' sports management company,[11] and he was also charged with accepting an additional $15,000 in bribes and paying at least one recruit to commit to the university. Melton would later remove himself from the university on February 21, 2018, in order to enter the 2018 NBA Draft and begin training for it early, where he was selected 46th by the Houston Rockets and was later traded to the Phoenix Suns on August 31 before the upcoming NBA season began. Nike schools linked to college hoops corruption scandal, Thursday Headlines: New Offensive Playmakers Edition. I am anxious for people to see what really happened. The university had been unable to determine whether Pearl had been involved in any violations of law or NCAA rules because the FBI had seized his computers and cell phones as part of its investigation. However, the ASM documents raise more questions about his NCAA eligibility, allegedly listing at least $7,000 in benefits to him and his family during his high school career. Avenatti has tweeted that he will fully cooperate with the NCAA to my maximum ability. Then-current Texas player Eric Davis Jr. allegedly received $1,500 from ASM. [4], Diamond Stone, who played at Maryland in the 201516 season, allegedly received over $14,000 from ASM. Ask DeAndre Ayton and Nike about the cash payments to his mother and others. In 2016, the SEC charged Blazer with wire fraud and accused him of embezzling over $2 million from several professional athletes to invest in movie projects and finance Ponzi schemes. According to the documents, the guardian told "CC-3" that he had received illicit payments from individuals connected with Under Armour in exchange for De Sousa's commitment to Maryland. Although Adidas was the focal point of the recent college basketball corruption trial, former employeeMerl Code Jr.says Nike also paid athletes. In the two years since the FBIs work was first unveiled, that question has been largely unanswered. Hes the attorney whose fame skyrocketed in the last year as Stormy Daniels lawyer for her lawsuits against Donald Trump and his former attorney, Michael Cohen. Broad strokes being painted with few specifics. [54] (In part because of the continued corruption investigation, Miller would eventually be fired by Arizona in April 2021. Sports, former NC State and current NBA player Dennis Smith Jr. had received $43,500 from ASM Sports, an agency run by reported cooperating government witness Andy Miller, before enrolling at the school. He is being charged with four crimes in the complaint: Conspiracy to transmit interstate communications with intent to extort, conspiracy to commit extortion, transmission of interstate communications with intent to extort and extortion. Cal coach Mark Fox, for example, said upon being fired as Georgias head coach in 2018: The frustrating thing a little bit has been that only a tiny bit of what occurs has been exposed. In addition, P. J. Dozier, a star on South Carolina's 2017 Final Four team, was alleged to have received over $6,000 while at the school. Also according to the complaint, Avenatti said he planned to hold a press conference to out the companys wrongdoing, unless it paid $1.5 million to the AAU coach and hired him and the co-conspirator to conduct an internal investigation, for which theyd be paid between $15 million and $25 million. [1][2][3] Emanuel Richardson had a six figure salary. He also considered running for president in 2020 before announcing his decision against it late last year. I mean, this aint nothing new in college basketball., More:'I love the University of Louisville': Rick Pitino says he'd return to the city. Baker allegedly accepted a $5,000 payment for arranging a meeting between Michel and the father of the player, and an additional $10,000 for helping to steer the player toward Michel.[43]. It was all allegedly done to cover his own expenses for both his law firm and coffee business. Most notably, what has the most prominent one Nike been doing? A lot of people at Nike will have to account for their criminal conduct, starting with Carlton DeBose & moving higher up. Welcome to FTW Explains: a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. The motion contained sweeping claims against Nike and those who ran its AAU basketball operations. It should also be noted that shortly after the 2018 indictments were unsealed, De Sousa's guardian denied accepting any illicit payments. Then, in a turn of events that could not have been more comical, he was arrested in New York 15 minutes after his tweet with accusations against Nike, according to CNBC. (Who was the Kentucky assistant coach mentioned?

)[55], Arizona, which had already lost one of its three-member 2018 recruiting class after the initial allegations, initially lost its remaining two 2018 recruits after the new revelations. Gatto and "CC-3" then allegedly paid the guardian $20,000. Arizona, USC and Oklahoma Stateall Nike schoolswere also charged with bribery before accepting plea deals. [10], The ASM documents also claim that current NBA player Isaiah Whitehead received at least $26,000 from ASM while at Seton Hall.

[4], After being withheld from play by Louisville amid questions regarding his eligibility stemming from the original revelations, Brian Bowen withdrew from the school and eventually enrolled at South Carolina, though he would not be eligible to play for the Gamecocks' basketball program until January 2019. Michael Avenatti believing that public disclosure of something everyone already knows shoe companies paying HS and college athletes under the table to get around stupid NCAA rules, the horror! [12] Richardson was suspended on September 26, the day after his arrest, and formally fired on January 23, 2018. Five-star point guard Jahvon Quinerly reopened his recruitment in October and eventually signed with Villanova. FBI college basketball corruption scandal investigation, Adidas executive allegedly paid family of Zion Williamson and other athletes through laundering money, NCAA issues harsh ruling on Silvio De Sousa, Ugonna Kingsley reclassifying into 2022; college choice coming very soon, Robert Dillingham on what his Dream Team recruiting class looks like for Kentucky, Bleav in Kentucky recaps SEC Media Days for the Wildcats, DJ Wagner will be featured in new NOCTA basketball line by Drake, What the Wildcats had to say at SEC Media Days. Former assistants atArizona, USC and Oklahoma Stateall Nike schoolswere also charged with bribery before accepting plea deals. And it seems disgraced-agent Christian Dawkins may stir the pot a little. [4], The April 2018 indictments specifically charge that Gatto was involved in a scheme to funnel $40,000 to Smith's family in October 2015 in exchange for signing with NC State. I want to thank all of my supporters for your kind words and support today. [14] On a wiretap that was played during the trial, Merl Code claims that Arizona offered $150,000 for Little. [29] Two other five-star prospects for 2018 who had placed Louisville within their final choices, Moses Brown and Romeo Langford removed the Cardinals from their lists in the wake of the scandal.[30]. The diversion charade they orchestrated against me will be exposed, If Nike was cooperating with the government for over a year relating to this scandal (they werent this is a lie), where are the disclosures in their SEC filings? He signed with ASM after leaving for the 2016 NBA draft, but later moved to Roc Nation.

[12], Arizona lost one of its three-member 2018 recruiting class in the wake of the initial allegations. Everybody acts like it must have just started. He played in two exhibition games, but the school did not allow him to play during the beginning 201718 season and then left school after questions were raised about his ownership of a car he was driving at the time of an auto accident. Bol Bol and his handlers also received large sums from Nike. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/03/michael-avenatti-nike-college-basketball, involving Adidas and a handful of college basketball programs, which McCann explained is unlikely as a first-time offender, JJ Redick thinks he is one of the 3 most hated college basketball players ever: 'It's all Duke guys', San Jose State unveiled their new glow in the dark basketball court and it rules, Mike Krzyzewski reflects on 'emotional loss' to North Carolina in postgame interview, Nike Basketball posted a confusing Coach K tweet after Duke lost to North Carolina, Duke fans at Cameron Indoor got pumped for North Carolina game by dancing to 'Everytime We Touch', LSU fired coach Will Wade and all chaos broke loose on the transfer portal, Ronald Acua Jr.'s terrible Home Run Derby pitcher had MLB fans making plenty of jokes, 8 NHL teams that should trade for Matthew Tkachuk, A grown man was jockeying for All-Star Game autographs and MLB fans were not impressed, All 30 MLB stadiums, ranked: 2022 edition, Ranking all current NHL mascots, from worst to best, 23 glamorous photos from the 2022 ESPYs red carpet, The 8 funniest 2022 ESPYs moments, from Steph Curry's Tom Brady joke to Draymond Green's podcast cameo, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy.