NCAA Hopeful to Turn Over New Leaf in Wake of Scandals

On April 25, 2018, an NCAA commission circulated a report it believes will address internal corruption, which, in recent times, has seemingly saturated the realm of collegiate sports. The commission is led by former secretary of state, Condoleeza Rice, who was chosen by NCAA president, Mark Emmert to lead the charge and pen the report. In doing so, Rice was tasked with recommending some well-needed changes which could remedy issues within the NCAA’s internal affairs and improve its relationships and interactions with collegiate athletes going …

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 19, 2018 NCAA

Sensitive Information Capped in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case

As we recently covered, the NCAA corruption and bribery case continues to unfold and expand. As the government widens the scope of its search, it has simultaneously been trying to keep its findings under wraps. Although U.S. District Judges Lewis A. Kaplan and Edgardo Ramos both denied the government’s recent request for a gag order, they did acknowledge the need to protect some of the sensitive information obtained as the case progresses.

On March 6, 2018, the court issued a protective order, providing …

March 1, 2018 NCAA

Judges Want Media Leaks in NCAA Corruption and Bribery Case to Stop

On February 28, 2018, U.S. District Judges Lewis A. Kaplan and Edgardo Ramos denied the government’s “gag order” and both judges agreed that they plan to issue stronger protective orders that would clearly prohibit further media leaks. A gag order is a judge’s order prohibiting attorneys and parties from talking to the media or the public about an ongoing case. This most recent update on the NCAA corruption and bribery case comes in the wake of recent Yahoo Sports and ESPN reports.

Simply put, there …

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 …

February 23, 2018 Basketball / NCAA

NCAA Affirms Sanctions Against Louisville Basketball Team

As we have previously covered, the Louisville men’s Division I basketball team has been under scrutiny since news surfaced in 2015 about its inappropriate recruitment practices involving escorts and strippers, which started back in 2011. Since then, the team has endured the firing of its head coach, self-imposed penalties, and much embarrassment. In June 2017, the NCAA issued penalties, including a five-game suspension of former coach Rick Pitino, four years’ probation for the entire team, and show-cause penalties for former coach Andre McGee, …

February 19, 2018 NCAA

NCAA Bribery Suit Continues Less One Defendent

The NCAA corruption and bribery case is still ongoing, though now with one less defendant. We recently reported on a motionfiled February 9, 2018, in which the defendants moved to suppress evidence arising from an allegedly flawed warrant application by the United States Attorney’s Office. Also on February 9, and in further progression of the case, a federal judge complied with a request by federal prosecutors to dismiss the charges against defendant Jonathan Brad Augustine, former director of an Adidas-sponsored travel basketball organization called …

February 16, 2018 NCAA

Judge Denies Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case

On February 15, 2018, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied defendants, Christian Dawkins, Jim Gatto, and Merl Code, motion to dismiss corruption and bribery charges. As we have previously reported, Adidas executive Jim Gatto, Adidas contractor Merl Code, and sports business manager Christian Dawkins were accused of facilitating six-figure payments to basketball players and their families in exchange for promises that the players would enroll in Adidas sponsored NCAA Division I schools and later would hire Dawkins.

In their motion to dismiss, Gatto, Code, and …

February 14, 2018 NCAA

Filing Mistake Could Cost Government in NCAA Corruption/Bribery Case

On February 9, 2018, defendants in the NCAA corruption and bribery case filed a motion to suppress key government evidence. The motion outlines several procedural breaches, the most important is the claim of “a failure to identify the authorizing justice official” in paperwork to obtain a warrant for a wiretap. On April 7, 2017, a court issued an order permitting the federal government to wiretap Munish Sood’s cellphone for thirty days. The goal of the wiretap was to target communications between Mr. Sood and Christian …