Adidas scandal latest

[YmoBeThere]

I'mnotwaitingasyouhavecertainlyearnedthebenefitoft hedoubtoverthedefendantsinquestion.Icanimaginemyri adreasonsyouwouldchoosenottoengagethosemakingbasel essclaimsandopenyourselfuptotheirquestsforattentio n.Itisunfortunatethatsomefeelyouneedtoproveyouhave donenothingwrong.Youdidawonderfuljobraisingyourson andIwillcontinuetothinkthebestofyouintheabsenceofa nyrealevidencethatsuggestsotherwise.gif

So close, but that one extra space...

[PackMan97]

Agreed. But stating that we attract kids because they feel weird about being paid just seems... Too convenient. If it comes out that Duke either paid or was complicit in payment, I will also rethink my interest in college sports.

I believe there was been at least one case where the intermediary said the family demanded money in return for recruitment and then kept the money themselves with the family none the wiser.

sounds like some real shady folks.

[Owen Meany]

Merle Code is recorded stating that Arizona was giving Nas Little $150,000 and that Adidas needed to match this to get him to go to Miami (this is the exact same individual who made claims about Williamson that made headlines). Someone involved (his AAU coach, perhaps) later admitted that this was not true and that the family was not involved. So we know that the person that first mentioned Zion Williamson made a very similar (but more specific and involving a very large $ amount) claim that was false about another player.

These guys are hustlers who are trying to inflate their own importance and make themselves seem indispensable. The fact that they claim they are matching offers (or even making offers) means nothing absent other proof. It is very possible (likely, I think) that they are bidding against themselves in order to get the highest payday for themselves. There is no reason to believe them and every reason to doubt them. Unfortunately, most people who are accused will not be able to prove that they are falsely accused. The defendants and their attorney's goal is to sow the slightest seed of doubt and they will be more than happy to raise questions about anyone else in order to do so, regardless of the veracity of their claims.

[proelitedota]

I'mnotwaitingasyouhavecertainlyearnedthebenefitoft hedoubtoverthedefendantsinquestion.Icanimaginemyri adreasonsyouwouldchoosenottoengagethosemakingbasel essclaimsandopenyourselfuptotheirquestsforattentio n.Itisunfortunatethatsomefeelyouneedtoproveyouhave donenothingwrong.Youdidawonderfuljobraisingyourson andIwillcontinuetothinkthebestofyouintheabsenceofa nyrealevidencethatsuggestsotherwise.gif

Yougetaspork.gif

[Owen Meany]

Found this linked on Adam Rowe's twitter page. From Nathan Fenno's (LA Times reporter) twitter account:



In a statement to the @latimes, former USC associate head coach Tony Bland's attorney lambasted Marty Blazer's testimony at the basketball corruption trial claiming Bland accepted a $13K bribe in order to help pay Marvin Bagley to attend USC.

“False, fabricated, fake, perjurious. Somehow the government never suggested to me that this occurred or asked Tony to plead to it — because it didn’t occur. Leave Marvin Bagley out of this garbage.”


The Marvin Bagley/Tony Bland allegation Marty Blazer made isn't referenced (or even hinted at) in the complaint, indictment, plea agreement or statement Bland read to the court when he pleaded guilty.


I previously detailed how bank records show Christian Dawkins deposited most of the $13K in his bank account. People familiar with the matter tell the @latimes the remainder of the money was spent in cash at a Gucci store and club in Las Vegas.



Nothing said by these individuals is worth even a grain of salt and no one should be asked to prove they are lying.

[JasonEvans]

Ouch, some really damning wiretaps with folks talking about on Sean Miller in court this morning.

On the call, Richardson tells Dawkins that Arizona head coach Sean Miller was paying, or had promised to pay, $10,000 a month for Deandre Ayton, who would go on to become the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

Amid the seven wiretaps played in court during the college basketball bribery trial, there were multiple inferences of Miller himself personally paying Ayton.

Oh, the "Richardson" in these wiretaps is Emanuel “Book” Richardson who was Arizona's Associate Head Coach at the time. So, to be clear, there is a wiretap in which Sean Miller's top assistant coach talks openly about payments Miller is making to several top players (Ayton, Rawle Alkins, Jahvon Quinnerly).

-Jason "the fact that Arizona has not yet fired Miller is appalling" Evans

[UrinalCake]

There has been so much happening in this trial over the past week or so. Matt Norlander and Adam Zagoria are the best sources for information over Twitter. It does sound like there was an element of the agents making up stories in order to sell to their potential investors. One ESPN article basically stated that their business model was not based around paying players, it was based on swindling money out of these investors, and the way they did that was to claim to have relationships with basketball coaches. Then they would either keep the money themselves, or in some cases they would pay part of the money to assistant coaches to steer players to their agency. There have been cases where the players actually did receive money, but I haven't seen any evidence that Bagley or Zion or any other Duke players fall into this category.

Arizona is a whole different situation. There is evidence all over the place that Miller and assistant coach Book Richardson took money. There have been wiretaps and video recordings shown in court of them taking money. So yeah, they're in deep and I don't see any way they escape this unscathed.

[JasonEvans]

Arizona is a whole different situation. There is evidence all over the place that Miller and assistant coach Book Richardson took money. There have been wiretaps and video recordings shown in court of them taking money. So yeah, they're in deep and I don't see any way they escape this unscathed.

LSU is also in deep poo-poo.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...er-month-ayton

During one of the recordings, Richardson also told the undercover FBI agents that LSU coach Will Wade attempted to hire him. At the time, Arizona and LSU were involved in a recruiting war for forward Nazreon Reid of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

According to Richardson, Wade told him, "Look, there's a deal in place. I got $300,000 for him."

Richardson said he responded, "S---, give me half and I'll make sure the kid goes there."

[Nugget]

FWIW, this was at least mildly heartening:

"Christian Dawkins testified today: 'I wanted [Brian Bowen] to go to Michigan State. Tom Izzo told me flat out they WEREN'T going to pay him.'"

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/stat...31194837528576

[proelitedota]

2nd year in a row UNC might get a top 10 player that was going to Arizona. Josh Green is a 5* SF.

[JayZee]

FWIW, this was at least mildly heartening:

"Christian Dawkins testified today: 'I wanted [Brian Bowen] to go to Michigan State. Tom Izzo told me flat out they WEREN'T going to pay him.'"

https://twitter.com/AdamZagoria/stat...31194837528576

Lets assume that a few programs don't pay players - MSU, Duke, what have you. Still, this confirms that even those programs/coaches are complicit in the game.

This is why we need a NCAA hoops commissioner, or something like that, so that there is a chance to bring everything out in the open, and address the underlying forces that have helped create/facilitate the black market for players.

If, out of this trial, we get some sort of truth/amnesty process and a move towards compensating players directly and addressing their needs/rights, I would be pleased. Right now the wrong people are getting over compensated - runners, slimy agents, NCAA bureaucrats.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

Lets assume that a few programs don't pay players - MSU, Duke, what have you. Still, this confirms that even those programs/coaches are complicit in the game.

This is why we need a NCAA hoops commissioner, or something like that, so that there is a chance to bring everything out in the open, and address the underlying forces that have helped create/facilitate the black market for players.

If, out of this trial, we get some sort of truth/amnesty process and a move towards compensating players directly and addressing their needs/rights, I would be pleased. Right now the wrong people are getting over compensated - runners, slimy agents, NCAA bureaucrats.

Right. Izzo said no way but he obviously didn’t tell anyone else about this slime ball. Why didn’t he report him? Or maybe that’s part of the problem... to whom do you report a slime ball like that? The slimy NCAA?

[Kfanarmy]

Lets assume that a few programs don't pay players - MSU, Duke, what have you. Still, this confirms that even those programs/coaches are complicit in the game.

This is why we need a NCAA hoops commissioner, or something like that, so that there is a chance to bring everything out in the open, and address the underlying forces that have helped create/facilitate the black market for players.

If, out of this trial, we get some sort of truth/amnesty process and a move towards compensating players directly and addressing their needs/rights, I would be pleased. Right now the wrong people are getting over compensated - runners, slimy agents, NCAA bureaucrats.

They are directly compensated unless they are non scholarship players

[Troublemaker]

2nd year in a row UNC might get a top 10 player that was going to Arizona. Josh Green is a 5* SF.

Yep. It doesn't matter how well Duke recruits uncommitted high schoolers if we allow our rivals to catch up via grad transfers, decommits, and regular transfers. Josh Green would be a terrific 2-guard that can enjoy vegemite with Jack.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

2nd year in a row UNC might get a top 10 player that was going to Arizona. Josh Green is a 5* SF.

They just had a recruiting/transfer binge and they’re zeroing in on another transfer from William & Mary. Would they even have room if Green de-committed?

[JayZee]

They are directly compensated unless they are non scholarship players

Not compensated enough as evidenced by the robust black market.

[UrinalCake]

From Adam Zagoria’s Twitter, describing Christian Dawkins’s testimony. Jeff D’Angelo is an undercover FBI agent posing as an investor in Dawkins’s business:



Dawkins also testified that he and former Creighton asst Preston Murphy made up a fake player named Marcus Phillips at Creighton in order to take $$ from Jeff D'Angelo:

"He was just a random person that we made up. Marcus Phillips has never played for Creighton."

[proelitedota]

They just had a recruiting/transfer binge and they’re zeroing in on another transfer from William & Mary. Would they even have room if Green de-committed?

They have 3 scholarships open. so yes.

With that said, not sure if Green wants to follow the Nassir Little path.

[golfinesquire]

Right. Izzo said no way but he obviously didn’t tell anyone else about this slime ball. Why didn’t he report him? Or maybe that’s part of the problem... to whom do you report a slime ball like that? The slimy NCAA?

Nobody likes a rat.

[907bluedevils]

De Sousa wins the appeal at Kansas and will be eligible this year
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-bas...-eligible-play