Bizarre NCAA basketball news

[froghair]

Given what's gone down in NCAA basketball recently, I wonder if we'll see a see a sizeable shift in football commitments prior to December.
Especially the SEC schools.

 

[Way of the Frog]

Question for the lawyers on the board. Would there be a point where the actions of anyone of the shoe companies might fall under a RICO situation?

 

[netty2424]

Question for the lawyers on the board. Would there be a point where the actions of anyone of the shoe companies might fall under a RICO situation?

25 to life! Serious business.

 

[Boonescabanaboy]

Y'all were successful in expanding G-I to stupid proportions. There's that.

Filled it up in the Eddie days.

 

[gohornedfrogs]

Been going through what is publicly out there from the feds. Not sure the bribery claim in the presser is what they mean. There is some effort to hide money. And a whole lot of tax issues. The families/players should be getting charged as well. Because it is obvious that a couple of them were marketing for the money to make their choice.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't paying a coach to steer his players to an agent or financial

But as stated, if they knew coach 2 was Pitino, isn't that a pretty big fish?

Maybe what Pitino did was not a crime but it surely was an NCAA violation?

They didn't have wiretaps or video of Pitino.

 

[Mean Purple]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't paying a coach to steer his players to an agent or financial

They didn't have wiretaps or video of Pitino.

I think part of that scandal is criminal on the financial side. Several attorneys have weighed in today pointing out they don't think some of the charges would get a conviction. They got to this point by turning a guy who they busted through securities regulations. And that MIGHT be something where they can get the coaches. They were acting as agents to the investor. Not sure about federal, but in some states, they would have to registered. And...the tax issue. That's where the families of the players could get hit.

 

[Horny 4 Life]

 

[Horny 4 Life]

 

[FBallFan123]

 

[FBallFan123]

 

[FBallFan123]

From that Wetzel aritcle....
https://sports.yahoo.com/feds-turn-heat-recruiting-scandal-oklahoma-state-subpoena-183650183.html


-Dated Sept. 27, one day after the arrests of college assistant coaches, sports agents, shoe company executives, an AAU coach and others, the subpoena essentially shows the FBI and the Department of Justice running a full-bore NCAA investigation, only with all the power of the federal government, not the hands-tied limitations of the NCAA enforcement staff.

-It seeks “any and all documents and communications regarding actual or potential NCAA rules violations relating to the receipt of money, travel, in-kind benefits, or services by players and coaches.”

-The Department of Justice and FBI have demanded all “writing, emails, text messages, drawings, graphs, calendar entries, photographs, audio or visual recordings, images and other data or data compilations.” It also requests anything found on “any cellular phone or other telephone, pager, tablet, laptop computer, desktop computer, personal email, cloud storage, messaging or social media account used by employees, officers, principals or board members of Oklahoma State University.” It even wants handwritten notes.

-The records request goes all the way back to Jan. 1, 2014.

 

[Way of the Frog]

Curious if we will see similar actions at Louisville.

 

[FBallFan123]

 

[Tom Brown]

Oh please, please, please!

 

[PurplFrawg]

From that Wetzel aritcle....
https://sports.yahoo.com/feds-turn-heat-recruiting-scandal-oklahoma-state-subpoena-183650183.html


-Dated Sept. 27, one day after the arrests of college assistant coaches, sports agents, shoe company executives, an AAU coach and others, the subpoena essentially shows the FBI and the Department of Justice running a full-bore NCAA investigation, only with all the power of the federal government, not the hands-tied limitations of the NCAA enforcement staff.

-It seeks “any and all documents and communications regarding actual or potential NCAA rules violations relating to the receipt of money, travel, in-kind benefits, or services by players and coaches.”

-The Department of Justice and FBI have demanded all “writing, emails, text messages, drawings, graphs, calendar entries, photographs, audio or visual recordings, images and other data or data compilations.” It also requests anything found on “any cellular phone or other telephone, pager, tablet, laptop computer, desktop computer, personal email, cloud storage, messaging or social media account used by employees, officers, principals or board members of Oklahoma State University.” It even wants handwritten notes.

-The records request goes all the way back to Jan. 1, 2014.

Upcoming FBI presser:

 

[FBallFan123]

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-co...hes-top-programs-lottery-picks-224417174.html

Multiple sources who’ve been briefed on the case and are familiar with the material obtained by feds told Yahoo Sports that the impact on the sport will be substantial and relentless. Sitting under protective order right now are the fruits of 330 days of monitoring activity by the feds, which one assistant US Attorney noted Thursday was “a voluminous amount of material.” That includes wiretaps from 4,000 intercepted calls and thousands of documents and bank records obtained from raids and confiscated computers, including those from notorious NBA agent Andy Miller.

“When this all comes out, Hall of Fame coaches should be scared, lottery picks won’t be eligible to play and almost half of the 16 teams the NCAA showed on its initial NCAA tournament show this weekend should worry about their appearance being vacated.”

In terms of NCAA rules, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports that the material obtained threatens the fundamental structure and integrity of the sport, as there’s potentially as many 50 college basketball programs that could end up compromised in some way.

Among the documents expected to be in the federal government’s protection are the bank records of Miller, who bankrolled middle man, Christian Dawkins, who is at the center of two of the cases.

“If the NCAA is going to get Andy Miller’s bank records, God bless them, I don’t know what they’re going to do,” said another source with direct knowledge of the situation, chuckling at the thought. “You are better off changing the rules. The crazy part of this business is none of the kids are free.”

NCAA officials are staring at the prospect of a tournament with a winner that will likely be vacating its title – and many others eventually vacating their appearances.

The NCAA’s involvement in this case so far has been minimal. They’ve been in consistent contact with the federal investigators, careful to respect the boundaries of the criminal investigations. Whenever the information is released from under protective order, the NCAA will have to continue to respect the boundaries of the criminal investigations as they begin their own.

The routine nature of agents, runners and financial advisors operating in a world rife with payoffs, bag drops and kickbacks leaves the federal investigators at a fascinating crossroads. “The biggest mystery in this case is why more high-profile coaches and agents haven’t been brought in,” said the source who has been briefed on the case.

As witnesses paint a picture of the depths of corruption in the basketball underworld, the feds need to make a decision whether they want to expose other sneaker companies, agents and coaches. So far, there’s been no indication that they’re prepared to do that. The basketball underworld is sophisticated and nuanced, a black market forged over decades of moving players. Even with all the wiretaps and documents, the feds are still catching up on how it all worked. “The craziest part of it all is that they could have walked into one of 15 agent’s offices and it’s just as bad,” said a source with direct knowledge of the situation. “It just would have been other people and other schools.”

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, presiding on the 26th floor of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in lower Manhattan, denied a motion to dismiss one of the cases with the legal equivalent of a Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after a blocked shot.

Lawyers for three of the defendants – Adidas executives Merl Code and Jim Gatto and business manager Christian Dawkins – had filed for a motion to dismiss the cases based essentially on the notion that the universities in the cases couldn’t be considered victims. They were, after all, benefitting from the players and their performances on the court.

As Kaplan listened impatiently to Gatto’s lawyer, Michael S. Schachter, argue the motion, the judge’s mood vacillated between annoyed and ornery. His reactions to Schachter’s arguments included, “it would be quite a stretch,” “are you kidding me?” and “I’ve actually read the indictment.” He made one jab about the media attention the case has generated and ultimately dismissed the motion by saying that Schachter’s arguments would be better heard by a jury. (Schachter declined comment.)

The trial for that case will begin on Oct. 1, and the case involving former Auburn assistant Chuck Person and clothier Rashan Michel starts on Feb. 4 of 2019. (Another judge set the date for the third case – which includes the other three assistant coaches – for April 22.)

 

[Gary's Shirtless Revenge]

Holy [ Finebaum ].

 

[Moose Stuff]

Wow!

 

[Eight]

so if you are the ncaa and you a just a few weeks away from the biggest money maker you have kicking off you aren't exactly rushing to do anything with this small problem.

vacated titles and vacated tournament appearances later in the spring won't do to ratings what a tournament without the biggest brands. notice for example there hasn't been anymore talk about izzo and the issues at michigan state or even any of the programs originally named.

this thing truly might be an h-bomb dropped on college basketball, but i will believe it when i see it first.

 

[SnoSki]

Wow. Popcorn.gif