Assistant Coaches Arrested /Book Richardson is One

I wonder how long the NCAA will take to cancel each one of Adidas' sponsorship deals with colleges, forbid hs players from attending Adidas camps, and forbid teams from wearing Adidas apparel?

how long? haha.
 
I wonder how long the NCAA will take to cancel each one of Adidas' sponsorship deals with colleges, forbid hs players from attending Adidas camps, and forbid teams from wearing Adidas apparel?

how long? haha.
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NCAA doesn't regulate High School players. They do decide if a player is eligible to play once they get to college and if a player while in High School received certain types of benefits, the reasons for those benefits and who provided those benefits, they can deem that the player is ineligible to play NCAA ball.
 
3 October U of A spin:

Dear Wildcat Family:

As many of you are aware, a member of our men’s basketball coaching staff was arrested last week. I was angered and disheartened to learn of the news and its potential impact on the university, our athletics department, and this community.
As a proud and passionate supporter of Arizona Athletics, you deserve to know that we are winning with integrity at all times, and the steps announced today by President Robbins will make sure we are. As the leader of the Department of Athletics, I expect all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff to act with integrity and character, and I promise that I, along with our staff, will work tirelessly to ensure this department operates with the highest of ethical standards.
I have admired President Robbins’ leadership at the university, and this past week, he has exhibited his experience, demeanor and thoughtfulness. We will continue to work closely together as we navigate this issue.
With basketball practice underway, I ask that you join me in supporting Sean Miller, the staff, and our student-athletes as they work towards the start of the season.
Earlier today, Sean released a statement and President Robbins shared a message with the community regarding the university's actions to this point. I want to make sure that you have seen both Coach Miller’s and President Robbins’ communications, which are below.
As President Robbins noted in his message, we will be a stronger university and department because of the actions announced today.

Bear Down,

Dave Heeke
Director of Athletics

Statement from University of Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller
I was devastated to learn last week of the allegations made against Emanuel Richardson. I have expressed to both Dr. Robbins and our Athletic Director Dave Heeke that I fully support the University’s efforts to fully investigate these allegations. As the head basketball coach at the University of Arizona, I recognize my responsibility is not only to establish a culture of success on the basketball court and in the classroom, but as important, to promote and reinforce a culture of compliance. To the best of my ability, I have worked to demonstrate this over the past 8 years and will continue to do so as we move forward.

A Letter from University of Arizona President Robbins

Dear Arizona Family,

One week ago, our University community learned of the arrest of a member of our men’s basketball coaching staff, a result of a Department of Justice probe into criminal wrongdoing in college basketball. At the time of the revelation, I reiterated our commitment to compliance and to the high ethical standards that we demand of our entire university community.
Since arriving on campus in June, I have come to understand a great deal about our institution, specifically the incredible students, faculty, staff and supporters who make Arizona unique. But I have also taken heart in the core values that go hand-in-hand with our daily work. Those values are why I have a responsibility to all of you to discover the truth in this matter, to take action if warranted, and to ensure that our policies and practices related to athletics compliance are among the best in the nation.
To that end, I want to share with you steps that we have taken to live up to our values.
• Upon learning of the indictment, we immediately consulted with the Office of the General Counsel and engaged in communications with officials from both the NCAA and PAC-12 Conference.
• We initiated formal dismissal proceedings against Emanuel Richardson, the assistant men’s basketball coach charged by federal prosecutors. Mr. Richardson was immediately relieved of all duties.
• At my direction, our Office of the General Counsel retained Steptoe & Johnson LLP, an internationally recognized law firm, to initiate an independent review of the allegations leveled by the Department of Justice against Mr. Richardson. Their review includes all of the allegations related to Arizona contained in the criminal complaints issued last week, and any related legal issues or compliance concerns arising from those complaints. While the University is retaining the firm, I have given investigators my assurances that they have complete independence in their work. The investigative team is led by Paul Charlton, the Managing Partner of Steptoe’s Phoenix office and a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona. The work of investigators from Steptoe’s Phoenix and Chicago offices began on Monday and will be completed as efficiently and as comprehensively as possible. We will share the results of their review.
• The University has also retained outside counsel to assist the institution with the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation, as well as with potential NCAA matters. Jackson Lewis is a world-renowned firm recognized for their expertise in complex criminal and civil cases, as well as in issues involving professional and collegiate sports. Attorney Paul Kelly, a highly respected former Assistant U.S. Attorney and trial attorney, and Gregg Clifton, an accomplished sports lawyer and litigator, are leading the team. Jackson Lewis attorneys Gene Marsh, former Chair of the NCAA Committee on Infractions and one of the most widely respected attorneys in the field of NCAA enforcement matters, and John Long, an attorney with extensive experience in NCAA enforcement, eligibility, and compliance issues, will represent Arizona in any matters with the NCAA.
I have briefed the Board of Regents in its oversight capacity and will continue to provide the Board with regular updates. Should any new information come to light in the coming days and weeks, we will not hesitate to act or to take additional measures to fully address any issues.
The criminal investigation by the Department of Justice has no timeline and the independent investigation by Steptoe & Johnson will proceed expeditiously but may also be prolonged. In addition, any allegations of violations of NCAA bylaws must be thoroughly addressed by the University and by the NCAA. So, I ask for your patience as the necessary work continues, so that we all can have answers to our questions.
Since his arrival in April, our Director of Athletics Dave Heeke, has been a wonderful addition to the University and a great partner to me since I came to Tucson, no more so than this past week. His insight, experience and integrity are on display each and every day, and Dave’s input on critical decisions has been invaluable.
Head coach Sean Miller has not been charged with—nor accused of—any misconduct and he has been fully cooperative and supportive of our efforts to determine the facts in pursuit of the truth. In a message that he shared with the community earlier today, Sean expressed his own devastation at the revelations last week and acknowledged his responsibility as the head coach to promote and reinforce a culture of compliance. Based on the facts that we know at this time, we support Coach Miller and intend to provide him with all of the tools necessary to meet our goals and expectations.
The tremendous young men in our basketball program deserve our continued support as they work towards the start of the season, and I have complete faith that our passionate fans will continue to show them our love.
As your President, it is my responsibility to do what is right, to do what is needed, and to do all that I can to ensure that every member of our community is proud to be a Wildcat. We will be a stronger University because of the actions that we have undertaken and I will continue to keep you abreast of any developments.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert C. Robbins
 
In honor of Nassir Little committing to UNC inc. check out the quotes from UNC and Yukon:



best quote is from Piggie

“Well, that’s [expletive],” Piggie told Yahoo Sports. “I mean, come on. Come on. You know Roy knew. He was in the mix. He knew what was going on. Roy’s got amnesia.”
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The Dapper Suit-Maker At the Center of NCAA Probe

NFL and NBA stars trusted Rashan Michel to make them look good. And that’s what made him so valuable in one of the biggest alleged bribery schemes in college sports history.

By Ben Cohen / Wall Street Journal

Rashan Michel often bragged about his outsize influence in basketball. Except he wasn’t a millionaire coach or a highly connected agent. He was the owner of a bespoke clothing shop in Atlanta.

“I got all the college coaches right now,” Michel said in a phone call with a financial adviser named Marty Blazer. “I make all their suits.”

What Michel didn’t know was that Blazer wasn’t only a financial adviser. He was also a government informant. And he was recording their conversation.

The call is documented in a resulting criminal case that has roiled the billion-dollar industry of college sports. Michel is one of the saga’s more unexpected characters. He once brawled with Dominique Wilkins over an unpaid debt. Before that he was fired as an NBA referee. And he became a basketball power broker only because of his lifelong interest in fashion.


But now he is facing criminal charges after federal prosecutors said last week that Michel identified coaches willing to accept bribes and connected them to financial advisers and sports agents who expected to have college-basketball players steered their way in return for the envelopes of cash they provided.

As part of the arrangement, prosecutors allege, it was understood those players would splurge at Michel’s shop when they could afford it. And once he made the introductions, according to the complaint, Michel also took a cut for himself.

Michel’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Michel could not be reached.

At the center of the scandal is Blazer, a financial adviser who was under Securities and Exchange Commission investigation when he promised to lead investigators to more prominent targets in the basketball world, even though he didn’t know many.




But Michel wasn’t affiliated with a sports agency or sneaker company. He was the owner of a successful menswear shop with a recognizable brand. Michel’s suits were easy to spot by the yellow stitching around the lapel hole.

NFL and NBA stars trusted him to make them look good. And that’s what made him so valuable to Blazer’s scheme.

“He knows everybody,” said one of Michel’s friends.

Michel met Blazer through an unnamed sports agent in 2015, according to the complaint, and it wasn’t long before he provided actionable intelligence. Michel happened to know that former NBA player and Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person was looking for a $60,000 loan, and Blazer agreed to front Person money in exchange for Person steering players back to Blazer’s financial advisory.


It was a win for everyone involved. Person secured his loan, Blazer found his way into basketball and Michel took the promise of future business as his finder’s fee. The prosecutors say his total profits through the lifetime of the scheme amounted to nearly $50,000.

The complaint describes a meeting in a New York hotel room last December on the day Auburn suffered a buzzer-beating loss at Madison Square Garden. Person brought one of his players. “This is how the NBA players get it done,” Person said. “They get early relationships and they form partnerships. They form trust.”

He then explained to the player, who hasn’t been identified, why it was important for him to know Michel.

“Rashan can get you suits and stuff,” said Person, one of Michel’s customers. “You’ll start looking like an NBA ball player. That’s what you are.”

Michel eventually asked Blazer for monthly payments as he recruited more coaches into their alleged bribery plot, according to prosecutors.

Kobie Baker, Alabama’s associate athletic director, was an unlikely target. Baker was previously an NCAA compliance officer. It was his job to enforce college basketball’s recruiting rules. “He will be able to use his expertise and help our coaching staff maintain the Alabama men’s basketball program’s high standard when it comes to integrity and compliance,” coach Avery Johnson said when Baker was hired in 2015.

Less than two years later, Baker was in an Atlanta restaurant meeting Michel and Blazer.

They were allegedly there to convince the father of an Alabama freshman basketball player to let Blazer manage his money. At one point, the complaint says, Michel texted Blazer to suggest they leave the table, allowing Baker to be alone with the player’s father. When they were in the bathroom, Blazer handed Michel an envelope for Baker. Inside was $10,000 in cash.


Baker, who could not be reached, was not named in the criminal complaints but has been identified by people familiar with the matter as a staff member in the alleged schemes. He resigned hours after the charges were unsealed, Alabama officials said.

How did Michel, a clothier who was even more dapper than his debonair clients, find himself entangled in this elaborate alleged bribery scheme?

He grew up in the 1980s idolizing Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. But he quickly realized he wouldn’t be an NBA player. “I wanted to be just like Magic,” he said in 1998. “But the Lord puts you in situations where he wants you to be used.”

That’s how he became an NBA referee. He got his break when the NBA locked out its referees during a 1995 labor dispute. Michel was one of their replacements. He officiated his first NBA games when he was 21 years old.

Michel was hired as a full-time referee in 1997 and was the youngest official in the league. But he was fired by the NBA after only four seasons, a person familiar with the matter said, because his officiating put him among its lowest-ranked referees. Michel has called hundreds of college games since then, including more than 25 women’s games last year, according to Stats LLC.

After his NBA career was over, Michel embraced another longtime passion: He’d always been intrigued by how people dressed. As a child, he once said in an interview, he browsed thrift stores for bargains. He even wore a necktie every day in high school and college.

“I think clothes always speak for you,” he said in 2014.


Michel had a friend in the fashion business who respected his style and hired him to be a salesman. His first big clients were the former NBA player Quentin Richardson and the recording artist Brandy in the early 2000s, he has said.

He launched his own clothing shop, Thompson Bespoke, and Michel’s suits quickly became popular in Atlanta because of his charismatic personality and shrewd business instincts. He was recently planning to expand to Charlotte—and that’s where he was arrested last week.

While his Instagram account projects a glamorous life, one in which he’s surrounded by NFL and NBA players, Michel had problems with some clients. He famously got in a fight with Wilkins, a Hall of Fame player, on the court after a Hawks game in 2011 over claims that Wilkins owed him for suits he made five years earlier. Michel was arrested and had a swollen eye in his mugshot. The charges were later dropped, and Michel won a pre-trial settlement when he sued for damages. (Wilkins could not be reached for comment.)

Michel also outfitted lawyers, politicians and bankers in expensive suits with his signature lapel flair. Among his other regulars: college-basketball coaches. He even opened a pop-up shop in Houston during the 2016 Final Four there and offered “bespoke garment packages” to attract new customers. His best deal was four suits, four shirts and four ties for $4,000.

At that point, though, Michel was a key part of Blazer’s plan. They would have their first meeting with Person only months later.

But the relationship didn’t last. Michel was on the outs with Person and scouting other coaches by the next Final Four.

He didn’t know that Person and Blazer were talking directly because Person had made a request to Blazer: don’t tell Michel. He believed that Michel was trying to “double dip,” according to the complaint. While he appreciated everything he did for them, Person said, they no longer needed Michel.

“We are beyond him now,” Person told Blazer.

Write to Ben Cohen at ben.cohen@wsj.com
 
Oops, per Zags
Louisville has placed Kenny Johnson and assistant coach Jordan Fair on paid administrative leave, effective immediately.
 
Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB
Hearing more indictments are coming in college hoops. Expected to happen within the next two weeks, I'm told.
11:29 AM · Oct 6, 2017
 
Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB
Hearing more indictments are coming in college hoops. Expected to happen within the next two weeks, I'm told.
11:29 AM · Oct 6, 2017
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Oh yes. The superseding indictment should be a doozie!
 
Bruce Feldman @BruceFeldmanCFB
Hearing more indictments are coming in college hoops. Expected to happen within the next two weeks, I'm told.
11:29 AM · Oct 6, 2017
Click to expand...

Oh yes. The superseding indictment should be a doozie!
Click to expand...


A lot of people are likely losing a lot of sleep...
But apparently not in Queens
Our good fortune .
 
https://theundefeated.com/features/black-assistant-coaches-get-hurt-the-most-in-recruiting-scandals/
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It's head coaches being insulated...not a racial issue....

The fact that head coaches are predominantly white may be a racial issue. In cases such as these assistants are paid to provide plausible deniability - regardless of race.
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Regardless of race, these head coaches better pray they are clean, because if I'm an assistant with a wife and a couple kids, I'm singing like a canary to get as little jail time as possible.
 
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