It looks like the tables have finally turned on the NCAA and all of their ridiculous policies banning student athlete from doing pretty much anything. After a three year probe, several federal complaints were made public today in New York and it looks like the NCAA has been running some type of smuggling scheme with sneaker brands, coaches, and player agents. The New York Times described the complaints saying, “The complaints depict a thriving black market for teenage athletes, one in which coaches, agents, financial advisers and shoe company employees trade on the trust of players and exploit their inability to be openly compensated because of N.C.A.A. amateurism rules,” (Tracy 2017).
According to the complaints, one assistant basketball coach received $100,000 for steering players toward a specific financial manager when they received their NBA salaries. One university had a deal with sneaker giant Adidas in which players’ families would receive compensation, up to $100,000, if the player committed to the school and to signing with Adidas when he went pro. In total, a dozen people were arrested on charges ranging from federal bribery, fraud, and other corruption charges.
Four assistant coaches from Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and Southern California as well as senior Adidas executive Jim Gatto are some of those that were arrested in connection with the investigation. Each coach faces up to 80 years in prison. Adidas claimed to have no knowledge of any misconduct by any of it’s employees, but it will fully cooperate with investigators. University of Louisville was not mentioned specifically, however, both the school’s interim president and men’s head basketball coach Rick Pitino both released a statement denying any wrongdoing. Louisville is already on probation over a prostitution scandal that involved former players. The school is currently appealing those punishments.
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NCC president Mark Emmert also released a statement regarding the investigation. He 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.” Emmert had no idea about the FBI’s undercover investigation which included wiretaps, surveillance video, and cooperating witnesses. It is no surprise that college teams are involved in shady deals. This is the same organization that makes millions of the backs of young athletes and criticize them for feeling entitled to part of the billon dollar profit.
