4 College Basketball Coaches Arrested, Accused of Taking Bribes
Assistant basketball coaches from Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State and Southern California were among 10 people arrested on federal corruption charges on Tuesday, in addition to managers, financial advisers and sportswear company officials.
The arrests of Auburn’s Chuck Person, Oklahoma State’s Lamont Evans, Arizona’s Emanuel “Book” Richardson and USC’s Tony Bland sent shockwaves through the college basketball world.
ESPN News Service reported that the coaches “were caught taking thousands of dollars in bribes to steer NBA-destined college stars toward certain sports agents and financial advisers.”
“The picture of college basketball painted by the charges is not a pretty one,” said acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim at a news conference, according to an Associated Press report. “Coaches at some of the nation’s top programs taking cash bribes, managers and advisers circling blue-chip prospects like coyotes, and employees of a global sportswear company funneling cash to families of high school recruits.”
College basketball followers and fans were quick to react on social media:
Feds allege Chuck Person received $91,500 for steering a player to a financial firm & clothing company.
He made $23 million in the NBA pic.twitter.com/NZJIi7JbU0
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 26, 2017
Sad day when corruption in this country reaches the last bastion of purity and amateurism, the NCAA
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) September 26, 2017
Also charged was Adidas executive James Gatto, who, according to court documents, is alleged to have given $100,000 to the family of a high school player so the player would commitment to play at an Adidas-sponsored Division I school, as well as agreeing to sign with Adidas once the player moved to the NBA.
No students were identified by name in the court documents.