NCAA Coaches And Adidas Executive Charged Over Bribery Allegations

Global Sports has been impacted by match-fixing and bribery allegations for a number of years but in recent times it has grown much worse. Federal Authorities charged as many as 10 individuals over bribery charges relating to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball on September 26.

The Authorities charged 1 Adidas executive and 4 NCAA assistant coaches who were accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars as bribes to influence the decision of young and upcoming NCAA players in relation to the choice of schools they should go with, agents and sponsors they should sign with and even which tailors they should give their business to.

Prosecutors said that they knew for certain that three high school students were promised as much as $150,000 to attend two specific universities that were sponsored by Adidas. The $150,000 bribe money is suspected to have come from Adidas.

The Young Turks

The authorities released the names of the four assistant coaches but did not release the names of the two universities. The four assistant coaches were Emanuel Richardson of Arizona, Chuck Person of Auburn, Lamont Evans of Oklahoma State and Tony Bland of Southern California while the Adidas executive charged was James Gatto who serves as Adidas’s director of global sports marketing for basketball. Some of the other individuals charged include customer suit maker Rashan Michel who services some of the biggest NBA stars along with managers and financial advisors.

Although the two universities were not names, from the information provided it appears that they are Louisville and Miami. If it is indeed Louisville, then things do not look very good as the university is considered one of the top draws for NCAA basketball and is already on the NCAA probation list due to a sex scandal that tarnished the university’s image.

In a statement, Mark Emmert, President of the NCAA said

Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families, and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust

U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim stated that it wasn’t a pretty sight to see how college basketball was being corrupted. Kim said that the individuals charged with bribery were like coyotes going after blue chip prospects to exploit them and in doing so make themselves rich. Kim has also asked those who had more information about additional corruption to get in touch via the special FBI hotline.