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Post by dex on Sept 10, 2019 18:46:32 GMT -5
JUSTICE?
Gassnola avoids prison in college bribery scandal 5:26 PM ET
Mark Schlabach ESPN Senior Writer
Former Adidas consultant Thomas "T.J." Gassnola, who cooperated with the federal government in its investigation into bribes and other corruption in college basketball, avoided prison time and was sentenced to probation in New York on Tuesday.
Gassnola, a former youth basketball director from Springfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in April 2018 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in pay-for-play schemes to steer recruits to Adidas-sponsored schools.
He was sentenced to one-year supervised release, including two months of home confinement and electronic monitoring, and a $100 fine, according to court records
Gassnola testified in a federal criminal trial in October that led to the convictions of Adidas executive James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and aspiring business manager Christian Dawkins, who were accused of agreeing to funnel $100,000 from the shoe company to the father of Louisville Cardinals signee Brian Bowen Jr.
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Gassnola also admitted to helping facilitate $90,000 from Adidas to Nicole Player, the mother of former Kansas Jayhawks recruit Billy Preston. He also said he agreed to pay $20,000 to Fenny Falmagne, the guardian for current Jayhawks player Silvio De Sousa, to help Falmagne "get out from under" a pay-for-play scheme to send De Sousa to attend Maryland, which is sponsored by Under Armour.
Gassnola also testified he made payments of $40,000 to people close to Dennis Smith Jr., a former five-star recruit who spent one-and-a-half seasons at NC State before being a lottery pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
Additionally, Gassnola testified he gave $15,000 to a family friend of former Arizona star Deandre Ayton in 2015, when Ayton was in high school, to establish a relationship between Adidas and the Ayton family.
In a sentencing memorandum to U.S. District Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, federal prosecutors wrote glowingly of Gassnola's cooperation.
"Over the course of several lengthy proffer sessions, Gassnola spoke openly about his involvement in the criminal conduct, describing his relationship with Gatto, Code, Dawkins, and others, and the payments to the families of student-athletes he made and facilitated on behalf of Adidas, in his role as a consultant in an effort to help the company in the 'shoe wars,'" the sentencing memorandum said.
"In particular, and in addition to confirming details about the planned payments to the Bowen and Little families, which were known to law enforcement, Gassnola identified a series of unlawful payments that had not, at that point, been identified during the investigation, including the $90,000 in payments to the mother of Billy Preston and $40,000 to the handler of Dennis Smith Jr."
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Post by dex on Sept 12, 2019 8:04:43 GMT -5
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Post by petert on Sept 12, 2019 10:01:17 GMT -5
Sean Miller...wow...how does Arizona keep him?
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Post by dex on Sept 13, 2019 8:40:01 GMT -5
Back in the day I used to post pieces from a website I think was called The Truth About Duke Basketball. It used to allege the instances when high profile players' parents would get jobs near Duke plus cars and even dwellings....all hidden by the use of straw men. I believed it then and I believe it now. I guess there is some people who still actually think that John Wooden was clean too. larrybrownsports.com/basketball/gilbert-arenas-duke-pay-players-200000/513712
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Post by pc1971 on Sept 13, 2019 8:48:58 GMT -5
Back in the day I used to post pieces from a website I think was called The Truth About Duke Basketball. It used to allege the instances when high profile players' parents would get jobs near Duke plus cars and even dwellings....all hidden by the use of straw men. I believed it then and I believe it now. I guess there is some people who still actually think that John Wooden was clean too. larrybrownsports.com/basketball/gilbert-arenas-duke-pay-players-200000/513712The clean and beloved Coach K[NOT BY ME BY THE WAY]!!
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Post by dex on Sept 19, 2019 8:25:42 GMT -5
Did they finally Break Pitino? Is this the way it ends? Or will he be coming back to PC when Cooley is 80 as Walk contends?
Rick Pitino and Louisville have reached a settlement in lawsuits stemming from his departure from the school in October 2017, with Pitino receiving no money from the school, it was announced Wednesday.
"Pitino's personnel file shall reflect that his employment with ULAA ended as a result of a resignation," the settlement agreement stated.
Pitino sued the University of Louisville Athletic Association for breach of contract on Nov. 30, 2017, and was seeking more than $35 million. The ULAA filed counterclaims on Dec. 13, 2017, pursuing damages allegedly caused by the former basketball coach.
Both Pitino's lawsuit and the ULAA countersuit were mutually dismissed as a result of Wednesday's settlement.
In his individual statement, Pitino said he dropped the lawsuit against the advice of his lawyer and is looking forward to what's next in his career.
"Today, I move on to a new chapter in my life," Pitino said in a statement released by his lawyer. "... I am very proud of the many accomplishments my teams achieved at Louisville. I'm so thankful and honored to coach such dedicated athletes. I'm also disappointed in how it ended. But as head coach I am held responsible for the actions of all team members."
Pitino spurns Greek team, focused on NBA job Louisville's board voted unanimously to fire Pitino in October 2017 after he was placed on administrative leave three weeks earlier, following an FBI investigation into fraud and corruption in college basketball. Allegations against Louisville included payments of $100,000 to the family of a recruit to sign with the Cardinals. His contract had been slated to end in 2026.
Pitino, 67, won NCAA titles at Kentucky and Louisville, reached seven Final Fours and claimed conference titles in the Big East, SEC and ACC. At Louisville, however, a national title and two Final Four appearances have been vacated as a result of scandals, including allegations that a former staff member arranged for striptease dances and sex acts for players and recruits during parties at an on-campus dormitory from 2011 to 2015.
Pitino, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach, led Panathinaikos to the championship in the Greek League this summer and has said he wants to return to the full-time pursuit of a job in the NBA as a coach or in a player-personnel or advisory role.
"I still have so much passion for the game and so many goals I want to achieve," Pitino said in his individual statement Wednesday. "From this day forward, I start my climb."
A joint statement from the University of Louisville and Pitino recognizes that he ultimately was accountable for NCAA infractions that happened under his watch.
"For 17 years, Coach Pitino ran a program that combined excellence on the court with a commitment to the program's student athletes, their academic achievement, and their futures in and out of basketball," the joint statement said. "Nevertheless, there were NCAA infractions during his term which led to serious consequences for the University. Although these infractions may not have occurred at Coach Pitino's direction or with his knowledge, the problems leading to the NCAA infractions happened under his leadership.
"We thank Coach Pitino for his years of service to the University of Louisville basketball program and wish him well. Coach Pitino and the University of Louisville have mutually agreed to dismiss their legal claims against each other, designate his departure as a resignation, and move forward."
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this report.
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friar82
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Post by friar82 on Sept 20, 2019 17:46:47 GMT -5
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Post by dex on Sept 20, 2019 18:41:10 GMT -5
Well said '82...they have this bum rotten cheater Self on tape offering payola
Fats Gassnola is singing like a canary so successfully avoided a major prison term.
Another slap on the wrist by the NCAA is guaranteed...at this point I say arrest the Prez of the ncaa Emmert and sweat him out
And believe me...this chit is going on TODAY in recruiting. I'm not kidding boys... enough said
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Post by dex on Sept 25, 2019 7:35:10 GMT -5
NCAA suspends deadlines in corruption cases
ESPN News Services
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The NCAA is suspending its deadlines for schools to respond to charges levied by the governing body in the wake of college basketball's corruption scandal.
In a letter obtained by The Associated Press in a public-records request, infractions committee member Carol Cartwright wrote NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan last week to say the committee "will not act" on cases until Nov. 20. She also wrote that all "briefing deadlines" are on hold during that time, such as the 90 days schools or individuals have to respond to charges outlined in a Notice of Allegations (NOA).
NC State and Kansas both face discipline from the NCAA after being named in a federal criminal case involving improper payments to recruits and their families, which grew out of an FBI investigation into apparel company Adidas.
Sources have told ESPN that NCAA investigations are also underway at Arizona, Auburn, Creighton, Louisville, LSU and USC.
Kansas said it received a notice from the NCAA just this week, and NC State was charged in July. Hall of Fame Kansas coach Bill Self and former NC State coach Mark Gottfried both face possible top-level counts.
KU charged with lack of institutional control, more Cartwright's letter states the committee's "preference" is for no additional notices to be filed before Nov. 20, even while acknowledging "more cases will follow in the coming months."
NC State released a copy of the letter Tuesday evening among numerous case documents in response to a records request. The NCAA charged the school in July with four violations, including the potential top-level counts against Gottfried and former assistant coach Orlando Early tied to guard Dennis Smith Jr., who played one season for the Wolfpack before leaving for the NBA.
The school was due to file its response Oct. 7 as the first of the cases to come through the NCAA infractions process.
"We will follow the guidance and recommendation of the NCAA," NC State athletics spokesman Fred Demarest said when asked about Cartwright's letter.
NCAA spokeswoman Emily James declined to comment when reached by the AP on Tuesday night.
Cartwright's letter states it will "apply to all infractions cases connected" to the federal corruption investigation into the sport, which became public in fall 2017. The same deadline stipulations will apply to any related notices issued by the NCAA enforcement staff before Nov. 20, while she will determine "next steps" in pending cases after that date, according to the letter.
Cartwright, the former president of Bowling Green and Kent State universities, wrote the letter as part of an effort to "better manage" the complex cases following the federal criminal case that touches numerous schools including Arizona, Auburn and Louisville.
Most notably in NC State's case, the NCAA alleged that Early provided Smith and his associates with about $46,700 in improper inducements and benefits -- including $40,000 that a government witness testified he delivered to Early, intended for Smith's family, in 2015.
Gottfried was charged under the NCAA provision of head-coach responsibility for violations within his program.
The documents released by NC State also included a memo summarizing school officials' April interview with Smith, who's now with the New York Knicks.
"He said neither he nor his family ever received any cash from anyone at N.C. State," the memo states, adding that Smith said he "would not have been driving his grandmother's car" had he accepted money.
Additionally, the school said it had planned to release phone records for Gottfried, now the head coach at Cal State Northridge. But attorneys for Gottfried successfully obtained a temporary restraining order in a Wake County court Tuesday afternoon preventing the release of the records.
In a court filing, Gottfried's attorneys argued the records shouldn't be released without Gottfried being able to first review and redact records of personal calls unrelated to his job as NC State's former coach.
Elliot Abrams, a Raleigh-based attorney representing Gottfried, declined to comment Tuesday night. A court hearing in that matter is scheduled for Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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friar82
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Post by friar82 on Sept 25, 2019 10:33:04 GMT -5
Assuming I've interpreted this correctly(?)...
The NCAA has informed the targeted programs (all Blue Bloods) that they shouldn't be in any hurry to file their responses to allegations stemming from prior investigations. Nope, let's just kick the can down the road as was the case with the Academic Fraud investigation and "sanctioning" at UNC.
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Post by lowcountryfriar on Sept 25, 2019 11:11:07 GMT -5
Unbelievable.
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thefriarman
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Post by thefriarman on Sept 25, 2019 12:15:16 GMT -5
This today in the Projo AP article:
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friar82
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Post by friar82 on Sept 25, 2019 17:10:24 GMT -5
Clarification:
The rules continue to evolve to favor the blue bloods, and when said Blue Bloods stub their toe, the rate and veracity at which the NCAA investigates is suspect. This is not the case with smaller schools which aren't cogs in the NCAA's P-5 Football ATM
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Post by dex on Sept 27, 2019 8:15:17 GMT -5
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thefriarman
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Post by thefriarman on Sept 27, 2019 10:34:04 GMT -5
Not one of the big blue bloods so let's nail them... meanwhile Kansas cries foul for being talked about getting sanctions ....UNC continues unscathed from the school classes fiasco... and on and on it goes....
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