Adidas Scandal (FBI Investigation, Several Schools Impacted)

[hallcity]

If Louisville is indeed involved, it will be very important to look at dates of these transactions. From my reading of the bylaws, they would be subject to the repeat violator clause for violations occurring after June, when their punishment was officially handed down for the strippers. Obviously we have to wait and see exactly what happened because I'm sure the NCAA will view things differently if this was limited to coaches and (who they thought were) agents, or if players were involved with receiving any of this money on the back end.

There have been recent rumors that Papa John (who's a BIG donor at Louisville) wanted Pitino gone. Did he know something was coming?

[Jeffrey]

And UNC, of course, has always thought itself above the law.

It's not?

[Hingeknocker]

This is a bad story, and is only going to get worse I'd imagine, but let's all remember that it wouldn't even be a story in the first place if they'd just let the players be paid.

[MChambers]

This is a bad story, and is only going to get worse I'd imagine, but let's all remember that it wouldn't even be a story in the first place if they'd just let the players be paid.

Depends on how they’re paid. If they’re paid by the schools, won’t illicit shoe money still be an issue? If the payments by schools are capped, won’t under the table money still be a problem?

[sammy3469]

I also won't be shocked if more Adidas schools are named down the line especially if Gatto flips. Gatto is a big Adidas honcho, so he knows where everything is buried. Big 5 schools that fall into that category are AZ St, Ga Tech, Indiana, Kansas, Miss St, NC State, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Texas A&M.

[Hingeknocker]

Depends on how they’re paid. If they’re paid by the schools, won’t illicit shoe money still be an issue? If the payments by schools are capped, won’t under the table money still be a problem?

I meant a more expansive, the players should get paid by the schools and be allowed to profit off their likeness, perhaps to include their own deals with shoe companies.

[Owen Meany]

Although Adidas schools seem in the most danger with what has appeared thus far, literally any school could be drug into this when you have people offering players money. In fact, top programs such as Duke are in greater danger because they are usually the destination for the highly ranked kids that shoe execs and agents would want to target.

[Wahoo2000]

If Louisville is indeed involved, it will be very important to look at dates of these transactions. From my reading of the bylaws, they would be subject to the repeat violator clause for violations occurring after June, when their punishment was officially handed down for the strippers. Obviously we have to wait and see exactly what happened because I'm sure the NCAA will view things differently if this was limited to coaches and (who they thought were) agents, or if players were involved with receiving any of this money on the back end.

Screen Shot 2017-09-26 at 7.30.49 AM.jpg

Looks like it's gotta be regarding Brian Bowen, a "surprise commit" to Louisville on June 3rd of this year.

https://twitter.com/JasonRileyWDRB/s...robe-108002530

[hudlow]

I really really hope the NCAA doesn't use this to take the focus off of uNC.

Hopefully it will speed up the uNC resolution to clear the table for these new transgressions that are surely more sensational for the media.

[sagegrouse]

So the seven schools looks like:

Auburn
Louisville
Miami
South Carolina
Ok St
USC
Arizona

So, from a cursory review of the Person complaint, it appears that the charge is receipt of a payment (bribe) for helping steer an athlete at Auburn to use a specific agent. It is a crime, ostensibly, because Person is an employee of an institution that receives more than $10,000 in federal assistance.

[JasonEvans]

Looks like it's gotta be regarding Brian Bowen, a "surprise commit" to Louisville on June 3rd of this year.

Yeah, there are other reports surfacing now that Bowen's family was paid 6-figures to attend an Adidas school and that Louisville was the school of choice. While there is nothing that indicates Pitino or anyone at Louisville knew what was going on, this is yet another stain on Pitino. One wonders if he can survive another major scandal.

-Jason "I really wish the ACC had gone elsewhere for another team... Louisville is not a cultural match with anyone else in the ACC" Evans

[sammy3469]

Yeah, there are other reports surfacing now that Bowen's family was paid 6-figures to attend an Adidas school and that Louisville was the school of choice. While there is nothing that indicates Pitino or anyone at Louisville knew what was going on, this is yet another stain on Pitino. One wonders if he can survive another major scandal.

-Jason "I really wish the ACC had gone elsewhere for another team... Louisville is not a cultural match with anyone else in the ACC" Evans

I don't know why he wasn't arrested, but there is a Coach-1 from University 6 (i.e. Louisville) in a July 27 Las Vegas hotel meeting where Bowen was reference in trying to set up a plan to get another player graduating in 2019 to come. So someone at Louisville knew and actively helped in July 2017. This is death penalty level stuff for them.

This is one page 21 of this complaint.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr...98751/download

[billy]

Calling swood (or others):

What's the NCAA's role here? It's a criminal indictment, so obviously subject to governmental involvement. Would the NCAA sit on the sidelines until it all shakes out then act, if at all?

[uh_no]

Louisville is not a cultural match with anyone else in the ACC

except:

UNC
Miami
FSU
Syracuse

[BoiseDevil]

This is a bad story, and is only going to get worse I'd imagine, but let's all remember that it wouldn't even be a story in the first place if they'd just let the players be paid.

Think about that for a moment...

Describe me the system that pays the elite players enough such that they and their inner circle are paid enough to be immune to bribery.

The inner workings of any lucrative enterprise is susceptible to human nature, in this example, GREED.

I'm not saying don't pay the athletes, I'm just saying behind most piles of money is a lie or two. I'd say we've seen enough lies involving college athletics to expose the darkness behind the curtain. As long as the name of the game is "Win baby" and the coaches are paid $M per year, if you can't win fair, you'll cheat. The alternative is you have one season to get off the hot seat or you're fired. Many people's character won't stand up to that pressure.

I think of myself as having high character. I also believe if I'd stayed in Fortune 50 company any longer, I'd eventually have succumbed to a shortcut at some point to get ahead. Then, it's easy to get caught up in covering your tracks and before you know it, even you can't explain why you did what you did.

[sammy3469]

The Miami angle looks like it is the recruitment of Nassir Little who they and Arizona want (University 4) who they got in a bidding war with (he's the only 2018 recruit that has interest in Zona and Miami). Also of note, UNC is involved with him.

[OldPhiKap]

The Miami angle looks like it is the recruitment of Nassir Little who they and Arizona want (University 4) who they got in a bidding war with (he's the only 2018 recruit that has interest in Zona and Miami). Also of note, UNC is involved with him.

I would be cautious about guilt by association -- Miami and Arizona allegedly did something shady in recruiting X, so any other school that is interested may have done something shady too.

Not that you are saying that, sammy. Just aimed at the broader point. I imagine we may have showed interest in a top player or two who may be involved in the allegations, without knowledge of what other schools were allegedly "offering" to come there.

[sammy3469]

BTW four of the 2018 top 10 recruit list is incredibly suspect in light of these indictments.

Bol Bol - USC and Zona
Langford - 'Ville with UNC and other Adidas schools Indiana/Kansas thrown in
Shittu - Zona with UNC
Little - UNC, Zona, Miami

Which school doesn't belong?

[Troublemaker]

As a non-lawyer, do I have this right?

The feds have jurisdiction here because
(a) schools receive federal funding, and
(b) the bribe was wired

?

Thanks in advance.

[bob blue devil]

I also won't be shocked if more Adidas schools are named down the line especially if Gatto flips. Gatto is a big Adidas honcho, so he knows where everything is buried. Big 5 schools that fall into that category are AZ St, Ga Tech, Indiana, Kansas, Miss St, NC State, Nebraska, Rutgers, and Texas A&M.

wouldn't gatto be very very high on the list of people to nail, rather than cut a deal with? unless this thing goes higher at adidas, i suppose.