Duke says he's "investigating" Michael Avenatti's allegations about Zion Williamson's mother

Duke University announced Saturday that she "investigated" the allegations of the reputed attorney Michael Avenatti that first-year star mother Zion Williamson was paid for "consulting services" by Nike. Avenatti, who was accused by federal prosecutors in New York for allegedly attempting to extort Nike for nearly $ 20 million, said Friday night on Twitter that Nike had paid Williamson's mother, Sharonda Sampson, for his "fake consulting services" so that Williamson choose Duke.

"We are aware of the allegation and, as we would for any compliance issue, we review it," said Duke Vice President and Sports Director Kevin White in a statement. . "Duke is fully committed to abide by all rules and regulations of the NCAA. Each student-athlete in Duke is screened to ensure eligibility. With respect to men's basketball: All rookies and their families are thoroughly monitored by Duke in collaboration with the NCAA as part of the Eligibility Center's Amateurism Certification process. "

Sampson has not yet responded to the allegations.

Avenatti has offered no evidence of these allegations.

Avenatti also said Friday night that Nike had paid the families of the other recruits. Avenatti tweeted documents – including what appeared to be redacted bank statements and bills that he said were fake – he said, substantiating his allegations.

Avenatti claimed that a top executive of Nike "has bribed over 100 high school players over the past four years to play college basketball at colleges affiliated with Nike, as opposed to other schools." He further claimed that senior executives from Nike and other schools had another look.

In a statement, Nike said that it "will not respond to allegations of an individual accused of fraud and extortion by the federal government and will help him in his outrageous attempts to hijack the government." On the pitch at the climax of the tournament Nike will continue its cooperation with the government's investigation into basic basketball and the associated extortion case ".

In March, the US District Attorney for the South New York District accused Avenatti and another lawyer of threatening to disclose what Avenatti had said was damaging information about Nike if the company did not meet its requirements. .

The US attorney in Los Angeles said separately the same day that Avenatti was facing charges of bank and electronic fraud for allegedly misappropriating a client's money and defrauding a bank by making false claims of fraud. 'tax.

Avenatti denied the accusations. He said "CBS This Morning "in March that the allegation that he tried to extort Nike is "absurd".

"There are legal experts who say I was in the ranks as an aggressive lawyer.Many say that.And the fact is that it was not extortion." , did he declare. "People are constantly making threats to try to settle a case."

Avenatti was arrested in New York on March 26. He was released on a personal commitment of $ 300,000 and was forced to surrender his passport. He is also required to report any transaction of $ 5,000 or more to the court and his trip is subject to restrictions.