I think the fact that a shoe and apparel corporation is involved (which could logically lead one to conclude that there are others... like Nike?) is what prompted the feds to get involved. To me, it reveals a level of complicity that goes beyond a handful of assistant coaches and one big-name head coach being offered up as collateral damage.

Nevertheless, the NCAA rules committee (imo) should be gutted and replaced. They've pretty much sat on their hands over the past two decades and refused to deal with the countless recruiting violations/academic violations in lieu of protecting big-name head coaches in Div 1 athletics.

Rick Pitino has exhausted his get-out-of-jail free cards within the NCAA in recent years, and is now looking at a federal indictment which could involve a considerable prison sentence.

But at the same time - he's just one of several who've committed similar violations, and I'm looking forward to seeing how far the shoe drops and who else gets implicated.

    Lately it seems like all of televised sports is on fire. I barely care to see the NFL scores on Monday morning (not really rated to the protesting, just tired of watching wildly overpaid clowns run into each other for the benefit of advertisers.) NBA is basically a handful of competitive teams running over JV squads until the playoffs (and then still, for most of it.) College football has been putting out interesting games on Saturday night at least. Ready to cut the cord and not miss sports!

    The amount of resources being funneled into activities that do little to better lives and communities is disturbing. It's wild that the FBI is involved, but it's wild that this stuff happens to begin with. We live in a world where people get paid millions to wear shoes with a certain logo on them.

    Weird, wild stuff.

    Please tell me Kentucky is on the list!!

    • ode replied to this.
    • ode likes this.

      I'm sure there's some tax evasion going on, but in all honesty, paying kids and their handlers isn't illegal.

        ptjn1201 - IF, and that is a big IF, all the FBI has on the kids and handlers is tax evasion - that often leads to prison time. Bribery is also a punishable offense. I'm wondering if the Louisville player starts singing that the Cardinals were the highest bidder for his services and squeals on the institutions that made other offers.

        Louisville had already dodged some bullets surrounding 'hooker gate' before this little revelation came out with the arrests.

          sdandrea1 What used to be a game, is now a business, including corruption. Sad.......but nothing new.

          This has been going on for decades at schools across the country.

              azgreg
              Like I said, nothing new. 🙁

              I'm just old enough to remember when the game was a priority over the $.

                LBlack14 that MF wrote the book....problem is he also wrote the book on how not to get caught!

                    DC300 This is what the FBI worries about.. hmmm

                    Hilliary emails, Comey, Lynch et al, thank goodness the FBI has their priorities in order. I guess the NCAA is a bigger threat to national security than we knew.

                        Rickochet - The FBI investigates potential Federal offenses. There isn't a week goes by that I don't read about arrests made as a result of an FBI assist or investigation in the Kansas City area or state of Kansas. Quick - name one you've heard or read about.

                        I predict by the time this investigation is finished, it will shake the core of college athletics and help to get rid of the stench and corruption. This investigation has been going on for 3+ years.

                        • ode likes this.

                          Rickochet
                          For the FBI, this isn't a basketball or recruiting issue, this is a trafficking, money laundering, bribery across state lines issue for the benefit of the investment advisers, agents, and coaches involved.

                            Rickochet I believe your skepticism was already addressed; that an organization as large as the FBI can have more than one or two items on the "to do" list. LOL

                              First of what may be many high profile casualties in this affair - Louisville's A.D. and BB coach Pitino are fired. I hope the FBI also goes after the top people at the shoe/apparel companies and not just the lower level "bagmen"...

                              So, who's got the axe? All I saw on the news this morning was Pitino was suspended?

                                LBlack14
                                An assistant coach at Arizona is getting fired. From what I'm hearing this is getting to the blue bloods in the sport. Grab your popcorn.

                                  The tentacles of the FBI's investigation haven't even begun to reach out yet. Adidas was first, now (as of today) they're announcing that Nike's AAU league is also part of the investigation.

                                  I suspect there will be numerous other programs/coaches involved in this. To what extent - who knows.

                                  I'm guessing this will continue to play out over the coming months, as those looking at serious federal indictments with the likely result of significant prison time start bargaining for plea deals in lieu of selling out other programs and coaches. So I don't think this investigation is remotely over, and I think there will be other programs involved, especially when the evidence starts to mount and there's no other choice but to cooperate.

                                  And dare I say that this might go beyond college hoops... this could easily meander into college football too.

                                  This is a huge problem for the NCAA, too. You're not gonna convince me that some at the highest echelon of collegiate sports weren't aware of what was happening.

                                  This is gonna get pretty messy, me thinks.