October 15, 2018 Basketball / Litigation / NCAA

Brian Bowen Sr. Admits To Taking Cash to Secure His Son’s Commitment to Louisville

On October 9, 2018, Brian Bowen Sr., the father of a Louisville Cardinals’ recruit, took the stand to testify in the FBI’s case regarding corruption in college basketball. Federal prosecutors assert that it is a federal crime to break NCAA rules and is charging two Adidas officials an NBA agent with accusations that they brokered a deal to pay families of recruits to secure a commitment to Adidas-sponsored teams.

According to federal prosecutors, Adidas officials and others conspired to pay Bowen’s family $100,000…

October 8, 2018 Litigation / NCAA / Rights

Shocking Testimony Heard at NCAA Corruption/Bribery Trial

On October 3, 2018, weeks before the start of the college basketball season, shocking testimony was heard in the NCAA Corruption/Bribery Trial. As we have previously reported, on February 21, 2018, Yahoo Sports reported that financial records, documents, and wiretaps tied to prominent former NBA agent, Andy Miller, and his former associate, Christian Dawkins, provided the prosecution with a detailed window into the ongoing NCAA Corruption and Bribery scandal. The scandal, now case, involves Adidas executive Jim Gatto, Adidas contractor Merl Code, and sports …

October 8, 2018 Basketball / Litigation / NCAA

Father of Ex-Louisville Recruit Gives Moving Testimony in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Trial

On October 4, 2018, the father of ex-University of Louisville basketball recruit, Brian “Tugs” Bowen, broke down in tears before he gave testimony in the NCAA Corruption/Bribery Trial. As we have previously reported, on February 21, 2018, Yahoo Sports reported that financial records, documents, and wiretaps tied to prominent former NBA agent, Andy Miller, and his former associate, Christian Dawkins, provided the prosecution with a detailed window into the ongoing NCAA Corruption and Bribery scandal. The scandal, now case, involves Adidas executive Jim Gatto, …

August 2, 2018 Fraud / NCAA

NCAA Bribery Scandal UPDATE: Former Auburn Coach Moves to Dismiss Charges

On July 27, 2018, Chuck Connors Person, a former NBA player and former Auburn University assistant coach, asked the court, once again, to dismiss the government’s charges against him. According to Person’s memorandum, “the government filed a superseding indictment, which abandoned the original wire fraud conspiracy theory and presented an entirely different wire fraud charge against Person. However, the superseding indictment did not fix any of the problems of the original indictment and, according to Person, the government “failed to advance any persuasive arguments …

July 13, 2018 Basketball / Litigation / NCAA

Update: University of Maryland Basketball Subpoenaed in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case

On July 6, 2018, the University of Maryland Men’s Basketball team responded to Federal Grand Jury subpoenas requesting records in the NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case. Specifically, the Grand Jury asked Maryland for records regarding an unidentified former player, assistant coach Orlando “Bino” Ranson, and Silvio De Sousa, a recruit who ultimately attended the University of Kansas. After responding to the subpoenas, Maryland made a public statement that read, “[t]he University has cooperated and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing federal investigation.”

As we have …

June 11, 2018 NCAA

Update: Cell Phone Evidence Upheld in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case

As we have previously reported, former Adidas consultant, Merl Code, NBA agent, Christian Dawkins, and Adidas executive, Jim Gatto, came under fire in 2017 for alleged bribery and corruption practices relating to the NCAA. Specifically, they were accused of facilitating six-figure payments to basketball players and their families in exchange for assurance that the players would go on to attend Adidas-sponsored, NCAA Division I colleges, using Dawkins as an agent. Further accusations indicate that college coaches were similarly bribed in the scheme and encouraged …

June 7, 2018 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark

Adidas Settles Trademark Infringement Case Against Skechers

On June 16, 2017, the Sports and Entertainment Law Insider discussed an appeal made by Sketchers to lift a preliminary injunction granted in favor Adidas, which had alleged that the Skechers Onix sneaker was violating the trademark of the iconic Adidas Stan Smith tennis shoe. The injunction was later affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. While affirming the injunction and continuing to prevent Skechers from manufacturing or selling the Skechers Onix, the appeals court noted its belief that Adidas would likely succeed at …

April 11, 2018 NCAA

Scope of NCAA Corruption and Bribery Case Grows

On April 10, 2018, attorney Robert S. Khuzami added the University of Kansas and North Carolina State University to the list of NCAA basketball programs involved in the NCAA corruption and bribery case. As we have continued to cover, this case involves Adidas executive Jim Gatto, Adidas contractor Merl Code, and sports business manager Christian Dawkins. Each stand accused of facilitating six-figure payments to basketball players and their families in exchange for promises that the players would enroll at Adidas sponsored NCAA Division I …

March 1, 2018 NCAA

NCAA President Responds to Corruption/Bribery Case Report

On February 23, 2018, NCAA president, Mark Emmert, released a statement in response to allegations made in a Yahoo Sports report. As we have previously covered, Yahoo Sports reported that financial records, documents, and wiretaps tied to prominent former NBA agent, Andy Miller, and his former associate, Christian Dawkins, have provided the federal prosecution with a detailed window into the ongoing NCAA corruption/bribery case. According to the documents, payments as high as $73,000 were paid to current NCAA basketball players like Duke University’s, …

February 26, 2018 NCAA

NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case Update

On February 21, 2018, Yahoo Sports reported that financial records, documents, and wiretaps tied to prominent former NBA agent, Andy Miller, and his former associate, Christian Dawkins, have provided the prosecution with a detailed window into the ongoing NCAA Corruption and Bribery case. As we have continued to report, this case involves Adidas executive Jim Gatto, Adidas contractor Merl Code, and sports business manager Christian Dawkins. Each stand accused of facilitating six-figure payments to basketball players and their families in exchange for promises that …