Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
Duke will look into allegations that basketball star Zion Williamson and his family received benefits to commit to the school.
Athletic director Kevin White provided a statement Saturday to Ben Leonard of the Duke Chronicle:
“We are aware of the allegation and, as we would with any compliance matter, are looking into it. Duke is fully committed to compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations. Every student athlete at Duke is reviewed to ensure their eligibility. With regard to men’s basketball: all recruits and their families are thoroughly vetted by Duke in collaboration with the NCAA through the Eligibility Center’s amateurism certification process.”
This comes after lawyer Michael Avenatti accused Nike of giving Williamson’s mother, Sharonda Sampson, money under the false pretense of payment for consultancy services:
Michael Avenatti @MichaelAvenatti
.@DukeMBB – About this denial by Coach K the other day relating to payments by Nike…Can you please ask Zion Williamson’s mother – Sharonda Sampson – whether she was paid by @nike for bogus “consulting services” in 2016/17 as part of a Nike bribe to get Zion to go to Duke? Thx.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked about an initial tweet from Avenatti in March and responded, “There’s nothing there,” per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports.
Nike also disregarded the allegations in a statement:
Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel
Nike statement concerning Michael Avenatti’s allegations this weekend: “Nike will not respond to the allegations of an individual facing federal charges of fraud and extortion and aid in his disgraceful attempts to distract from the athletes on the court … 1/2
Dan Wetzel @DanWetzel
”… the height of the tournament. Nike will continue its cooperation with the government’s investigation into grassroots basketball and the related extortion case.” 2/2
Avenatti also alleged Saturday that he has proof that Nike gave illegal benefits to Deandre Ayton, Bol Bol and Brandon McCoy:
Michael Avenatti @MichaelAvenatti
2/2 – Nike should be criminally indicted on well over 200 counts and should also explain why they misled their investors/the SEC. If I’m lying or the docs are not legit, I challenge @nike to issue a stmt claiming no bribes were ever paid. Just Do It Nike!
https://t.co/4gi8MQRcQB
The lawyer was arrested in March on fraud charges unconnected to his relationship with Nike, but he was also charged with attempting to extort over $20 million from Nike. Convictions on all charges could lead to up to 97 years in prison.
Williamson recently completed his freshman year at Duke, finishing with averages of 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. He was named ACC Player of the Year and the Associated Press National Player of the Year.
While he has three years of eligibility remaining, he is expected to declare for the NBA draft, where he will likely be the No. 1 overall pick.
from Viral News Show http://bit.ly/2UkN50t
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