NCAA basketball coaches among 10 charged with fraud and corruption

Who said anything about the US Attorney is clueless. Not me. If I gave that impression, my apologies. He knows what he is doing.

The rest of your statement I agree with. I have a major concern that the NCAA is a part in this, to see Ametuerism locked in to common law. And, by trial balloon or scare tactics, the Feds and NCAA are testing boundaries of legal definitions. That's not all that uncommon. Lawyers test interpretations.

I'm not running away from your critique of my take. But I am in interested in yours.

Forget my thoughts, do you think coaches should be arrested on these charges. Do you think this is common practice in the past by coaches, colleges, boosters and agents and adidas Nike. Do you think it happens in football That's the issue. You're too focused on my concerns. What are yours?

Arrests? Really?

 

Kerr
Eddie ****ing Johnson

 

98%
Wow! But people b**** about paying the players

Rocket River

 

If you read those articles, I fail to see how a contract signed by the university, which stipulates personal services paid to coaches, is a bribe under what's being charged -- "U.S. Code § 666 - Theft or bribery concerning programs receiving Federal funds" -- when the whole intent of that statute is to protect the federally funded program from agents acting independently and corruptly in their own interests to the harm of the funded programs/universities. The university can't bribe itself by signing those contracts, right?

Maybe those reports aren't completely clear ... but it reads like Pitino was contractually given those payments vs stole them from the contract. Sounds like something against NCAA violations maybe, but not an illegal bribe, when the contract was signed by his employer.

Maybe that's why Pitino isn't actually being charged.

fwiw: there are 3 larger apparel contracts out to UCLA (Under Armour), Ohio State (Nike) and UT (Nike).

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/exclusive-...g-high-profile-players-schools-103338484.html

Documents and bank records obtained in discovery during the federal investigation into the underbelly of college basketball detail in meticulous fashion the expenditures of prominent former NBA agent Andy Miller, his former associate Christian Dawkins and his agency, ASM Sports. They include expense reports and balance sheets that list cash advances, as well as entertainment and travel expenses for high school and college prospects and their families.

While three criminal cases tied to the investigation may take years to play out, the documents viewed by Yahoo revealed the extent of the potential NCAA ramifications from the case. The documents show an underground recruiting operation that could create NCAA rules issues – both current and retroactive – for at least 20 Division I basketball programs and more than 25 players.

The documents tie some of the biggest names and programs in the sport to activity that appears to violate the NCAA’s amateurism rules. This could end up casting a pall over the NCAA tournament because of eligibility issues. (NCAA officials declined a request for comment.) There’s potential impermissible benefits and preferential treatment for players and families of players at Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC, Alabama and a host of other schools. The documents link some of the sport’s biggest current stars – Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Alabama’s Collin Sexton and Duke’s Wendell Carter – to specific potential extra benefits for either the athletes or their family members. The amounts tied to players in the case range from basic meals to tens of thousands of dollars.

An ASM balance sheet in the hands of federal investigators shows accounts through Dec. 31, 2015, with the subheading, “Loan to Players.” It listed several who were in high school or college as receiving four-figure and five-figure payments from ASM Sports. Among the largest listed loans:

• Dennis Smith, who would go on to play at North Carolina State in 2016-17, received $43,500 according to the documents. Another document headed “Pina,” for ASM agent Stephen Pina, says Smith received a total of $73,500 in loans, and includes notes about “options to recoup the money” when Smith did not sign with ASM.

• Isaiah Whitehead, at the time a freshman at Seton Hall, received $26,136 according to the documents. The “Pina” document says Whitehead received $37,657 and was “setting up payment plan.” Whitehead signed with ASM but later left the agency for Roc Nation.

• Tim Quarterman, at the time a junior at LSU, received at least $16,000 according to the balance sheet.

• Diamond Stone, at the time a freshman at Maryland, received $14,303 according to the documents.

• A listing that refers to “BAM” for $12,000 is later identified in the documents as Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, who would go on to play at Kentucky in 2016-17. He did not sign with ASM. There’s a later reference to Adebayo that says he received $36,500. “Bad loan,” reads the document.

• Markelle Fultz, who would go on to play at Washington and become the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, received $10,000 according to the documents. He did not sign with ASM.

In addition, Dawkins filed expense reports seeking reimbursement for thousands of dollars that he reported as being paid to college and high school players and their families. Several players, families of players or handlers received more than $1,000 in payments from ASM Sports before turning professional:

• Current USC player Bennie Boatwright and/or his father, Bennie Sr. (According to documents, they received at least $2,000.)
• Current USC player Chimezie Metu and/or adviser, Johnnie Parker. (According to documents, they received $2,000.)
• Current Texas player Eric Davis. (According to documents, he received $1,500.)
• Current South Carolina player Brian Bowen, who was ensnared in the initial federal investigation and started his career at Louisville last fall until the school withheld him from competition. His father, Brian Sr., also received money, according to the documents. (Dawkins’ expense reports also list more than $1,500 in plane tickets for Bowen, his father and his mother. He and his family received at least $7,000 in benefits, according to the documents.)
• Former Utah star Kyle Kuzma received at least $9,500 while in school, according to the documents.
• Former South Carolina player P.J. Dozier received at least $6,115 while in school, according to the documents.
• Former Xavier player Edmond Sumner and/or his father, Ernest. Documents show they received at least $7,000 in advances while Edmond was in school.
• Former Wichita State player Fred VanVleet. Documents show he received at least $1,000.
• Former Clemson player Jaron Blossomgame received a payment by Venmo while in school for $1,100 according to the documents.
• Apples Jones, the mother of former Kansas player Josh Jackson, received $2,700 according to documents.

Among those receiving hundreds of dollars in advances, according to Dawkins’ expense reports:

• The mother of current Michigan State player Miles Bridges.

Additional Dawkins expense reports list meals and meetings with players or their families while in college or high school, and before they turned pro. While small amounts, these could be categorized as extra benefits under NCAA rules. It appears Dawkins paid for the meals, which could be an important distinction.

“There’s nothing wrong with meeting with an agent,” said Atlanta-based lawyer Stu Brown, a veteran of representing schools and coaches in NCAA compliance cases. “But then it becomes a question of who pays for the meal.”

Among the players and/or families who are listed as meeting with or having meals with Dawkins:

• Current Alabama player Collin Sexton.
• Current Duke player Wendell Carter.
• Current Kentucky player Kevin Knox.
• Former North Carolina player Tony Bradley.
• Former Creighton player Justin Patton.
• Former Texas player Prince Ibeh.
• Former Notre Dame player Demetrius Jackson.
• Former Vanderbilt player Wade Baldwin.
• Former Virginia player Malcolm Brogdon.
• Former Iowa State player Monte Morris.

According to the documents, Dawkins has dinners listed with plenty of boldface names in the sport – Tom Izzo, “Villanova coaches,” Fultz and the family of wayward five-star prospect Mitchell Robinson.
​

 

^ I haven't followed this story extensively.

Where is the connection to college sports?

The fact that the agency also met with college coaches? I'd assume agencies meet with coaches all the time, coaches are represented by agencies?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not naive. I know there's connections. I'm just asking where is the documented connection.

 

Duke pays in bitcoin

 

Sean Miller going down.

I can’t wait until the crap with Duke gets out.

 

FBI making sure black high school players don't get paid while Trump is getting billions from Russia. SMH

 

It is coming. There is a tit for tat. Runners get money from agents/boosters who then meet with coaches and agreements are reached.

 

Sean Miller is cooked. Good chance he doesn't coach tomorrow against Oregon.

Good chance he's done for good.

 

Yeah rules are going to have to change after this. No is going to want to go to jail for aggressive recruiting tactics

Edit: Actually if anything this will finally force the big schools to break away from the NCAA and do their own thing

 

Sorry, HP - I never returned to this thread and never saw this. I'm OK with the arrests and all that. I'm not sure all the specific charges, but I imagine a lot of it is wire fraud, which is pretty widely used in a lot of different cases (for example, the Russia investigation). At the end of the day, schools and agents were using bribes to funnel players to schools of their choice - it was not done in the interest of the players, but in the interest of the schools and agents. NCAA violations and punishments haven't proven to be a deterrent since agents aren't really subject to their rules. But agents and coaches being charged with felonies? That might legitimately help clean things up because the risk/reward equation changes from "my school might suffer penalties" to "I might go to jail".

That said, I'm withholding judgment until we see where the investigation goes. My main criticism is pre-emptively saying this is pointless, there will be no convictions, and it's just a ploy by the NCAA. I want to see what all they find and how deep this goes and what potentially crimes they are going to be accused of committing. I'm a big believer in the idea that sunshine is the best disinfectant.

 

Agree. Maybe juco career from here. Unbelievable, b/c I really wanted to like him for some reason. Probably b/c Xavier fan, but also way too believable.

 

Three things that need to be legal and would solve everything.

1. Paying college players
2. Prostitution.
3. Weed

 

I don't think UW would object much to vacating the 9 wins they had when Fultz played there.

They lost their last 13 in-a-row so may as well make it a clean sweep.

 

Man . .. this is larger than I thought

Rocket River