[ad_1]
-
David M. Hale
Close
ESPN Staff Writer- ACC reporter.
- Joined ESPN in 2012.
- Graduate of the University of Delaware.
-
Myron Medcalf
Close
ESPN Staff Writer- Covers college basketball
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato
The biggest topic of both ACC and Big 12 media days was the ongoing FBI investigation and subsequent corruption trials surrounding college basketball, with some of the sport's biggest names working on downplay the pervasiveness of the scandal before a verdict Wednesday.
Former Adidas exec James Gatto, Merl Code and Christian Dawkins were found guilty in a pay-for-play scheme involving high-profile basketball recruits of Kansas, Louisville and NC State.
Kansas coach Bill Self said Wednesday that he is confident in the conduct of his basketball program, even if the Jayhawks planned to remove Silvio De Sousa from their exhibition opener this week.
1 Related
"I could be naive, but I've been in college for 43 years, and I've never been asked for money," Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said, echoing comments from North Carolina Roy Williams and Duke Mike Krzyzewski. "It's very damaging what's happened, and that's not good for college basketball."
Last season, Four Division I Assistants and Multiple Individuals Affiliated with Adidas were arrested as part of a bribery investigation that altered the sport.
On Wednesday in New York, a jury convicted the defendants accused of high-profile basketball influence recruits to await Kansas, Louisville and NC State. Adidas employee James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and Christian Dawkins, a trainer trainer for NBA agent Andy Miller, were found guilty after the three-week criminal trial in federal court.
During the trial, T.J. Gassnola, to form Adidas consultant and key witness, Silvio De Sousa, who has been suspended indefinitely. Gassnola claimed that neither Bill Self nor Kansas assistant Kurtis Townsend were aware of any pay-for-play arrangements, but an attorney for Gatto said the de Sousa's payment was requested by Self.
Multiple text exchanges between Gassnola and Self and Townsend were presented as evidence during the trial.
The Big 12 media day in Kansas City, Missouri.
"I know you guys want to talk about basketball with me, but before we get to that, I just want to know you're in the process of being in New York. I am sure that I will honor that, "I will honor you.
With the trial concluded, the Hall of Fame is expected to release Wednesday, Kansas said.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he spoke with self on Tuesday night but did not ask him about the allegations because "I knew he would not be able to answer." Bowlsby also said that the conference would not become involved unless the allegations in the trial became "matters of fact."
"I'm certainly not gonna prejudge any outcome," Bowlsby said. "There are lots of things that are going to be in the media or anecdotally come up and do not have anything to do with what's going on in the courtroom. . "
He added: "I'll react to those allegations when they become matters of fact."
Williams Nassir Little has vindicated the family; AAU coach, Brad Augustine, appeared to show no wrongdoing. Krzyzewski, Zion Williamson, last week, saying the nation's No. 2 NCAA.
Both Williams and Krzyzewski raised eyebrows in the past week by suggesting that payments to college basketball players were infrequent, with the Duke coaching the trial "a blip" in the overall scope of the sport.
Former Duke assistant and current Pitt coach Jeff Capel Krzyzewski has the situation.
"If it's something that hurts our game, I think it's a big issue," Capel said. "But I do not think everyone is involved or would not know that it's going to happen in the trial, and he would not know because he's not involved that deep in recruiting."
West Virginia's Bob Huggins offered similar comments, saying the FBI investigation should not affect the collective perception of college basketball.
"If, in fact, which have not happened, they should not have happened," Huggins said. But you're talking about what? … If things happened, we know they should not have happened, but that does not affect the state of play and the way people go about doing their business. "
After the verdict was announced, Krzyzewski said it was necessary to digest it and what it means, but his initial thoughts were that the verdict was good for the sport.
"It's always good if someone does something wrong, they're found out – and they're held accountable for it," Krzyzewski said.
ACC commissioner John Swofford said that it is important to evaluate the role of the commissioner in the assessment of the FBI investigation. The commission suggests significant changes to the NCAA punishments complex and serious offenses, and it recommended that high school and college players to better understand their prospects of turning pro.
As the aftermath of the trials plays, Boeheim and Williams were among the coaches who offered support for an Olympics-style model of compensation for players, which they would use to compensate them by the schools. . Williams said he was discussing this with NFL star Peyton Manning, who'd be lamenting the significance of the issue.
"I'm not in favor of compensation," said Williams, "but if you use a kid's likeness, I'm in big favor of that."
Swofford said how they have been discussed by the commissioners but they have watched the FBI investigation unfolds.
That's been a common refrain from the sport's executives, even as coaches work to repair the sport's image.
"Hopefully we have a collective way to address this subculture that we have seen," Swofford said. "I do not know how prevalent it is, I do not think it's terribly prevalent."
Source link
