College Hoops Turned Upside Down Following Trial
A New York jury convicted the three defendants accused of pay-for-play schemes on Wednesday in a Federal court.
Among those convicted were Adidas employee James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code and Christian Dawkins, a former runner for NBA agent Andy Miller
The three defendants were on trial for using money to convince high-profile basketball recruits to attend Kansas, Louisville and NC State.
The three convicted were accused of felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud by paying money from Adidas to the families of recruits to ensure they signed with the Adidas-sponsored schools listed below, as well as the popular sneaker company once they made the jump to the NBA.
The jury found Gatto guilty on all three of his counts, while Code and Dawkins were found guilty on two counts.
The ruling marks the end of a three-week trial as U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan set the sentencing for March 5th for Gatto, Code, and Dawkins.
During the trial, an attorney for James Gatto accused Kansas coach Bill Self and Rick Pitino of knowing of the payments to their recruits.
With the college basketball season around the corner, Bill Self has revealed that Silvio De Sousa — a current Jayhawks player who has been said to have $20,000 given to him — will not play in the Kansas Jayhawks upcoming exhibition game.
It’s been long thought that this has always been a case for college stars having money slipped to them under the table by companies like Adidas as well as from coaches looking to recruit them.
Certainly this is just another chapter in a ugly saga that in all likelihood is far from over.
What are your thoughts on today’s court ruling? Leave your comments below!
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