The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

graphic by Caroline Tan Two things about March make the whole world rejoice: the sound of the birds chirping and the month-long college tournament filled with upsets, heartbreaks, and excitement known as March Madness. The end of the tournament in April is accompanied by the cutting down of the basketball net, signifying the winning team’s hard work, determination, and accomplishment. This year, however, the national buzz that college basketball’s pinnacle event brings is shadowed by controversy. A recent investigation conducted by the FBI has revealed highly controversial methods that are used to recruit athletes to college programs. Money talks The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

when it comes to a player signing with a team, but according to the NCAA, the exchange of money, or bribery, is prohibited in the process of committing. Even with this year’s investigation, money problems in college athletics are nothing new.The question of whether or not college athletes should receive pay has been discussed by many for the last several years. But recently, the FBI’s discoveries has made the question more relevant than ever. To some, the question whether or not college athletes should get paid is a no brainer. College basketball is a multi-billion dollar cooperation and not even a fraction of that value is given to the players. Players also devote an incredible amount of time to their respective sports, so there is little to no opportunity for them to get a job and work for a salary to live off of. But, concerning whether or not they deserve to receive pay, they are not allowed to receive any money as of now. The FBI recently found that many schools broke that rule. The scandal was headlined by one of last year’s top basketball recruits and current Arizona freshman, Deandre Ayton, who allegedly, according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, discussed receiving a $100,000 bribe from head coach to get him to play for Arizona. On Thursday, March 1, Miller aggressively denied an ESPN and FBI-backed report about his alleged “pay to play” conversation with Ayton. This statement came with the support of ’s legal advisers, defending Miller and denying that such a “pay to play” conversation ever occurred. Normally, large public universities will not intervene in legal situations for economic reasons and for reasons of preserving their image. In his press conference hosted by the University of Arizona, Miller stated that he had and has no intention of bribing student athletes. Before March Madness started on March 13, many sports analysts and news outlets were predicting what these allegations would mean for players and their respective schools. No predictions are official, but the ineligibility of some teams to compete was thrown out as a possible form of punishment. Also, the school that wins the tournament could have their title taken away, as was the case with Louisville University’s 2012 championship when reports of player bribes were confirmed. Still, these possible punishments and penalties are extremely unlikely. According to the NY Post, the legal activity of the NCAA is slow moving and no form of punishment was dished out, as seen by the current popularity for the tournament. “It could be hard for the NCAA to make decisions [to make teams ineligible] like that on such short notice, but it is possible college basketball’s national championship could be vacated,” Corey Masisak wrote in an article from the New York Post. Another possible consequence that loomed over players’ heads was that the tournament might receive the boycotting of the final four. If the participants of the last four teams The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

remaining choose not to play due to other schools bribing players, some argue that it would bring this issue to the forefront of the NCAA’s problems. According to ESPN analyst and former college basketball player Jalen Rose, this is just the case. “In the climate of so many things that are changing, so many discussions that have now come to the forefront that have been closeted for so long — I wish NCAA players would exercise that power by boycotting the NCAA Tournament,” Rose said. If the players decided to boycott, they would have given the issue of pay national attention and force the NCAA to take action. However, March Madness continued without a hiccup. Avid fans spent countless hours creating the perfect bracket, and millions of people watched the games on television. It seems that after all the investigation and the issue of pay for college athletes, it never reached the forefront of everyone’s minds during the NCAA Tournament. People may be mad about their favorite team not making the Final Four, but the rest of the sports world is waiting for the NCAA to take a stand and properly address the investigation. Although no punishments were handed out, this investigation has set a precedent for the future. The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

graphics by John Liang, Jennifer Ren, Caroline Tan , Michigan State University Bridges’s mother met with an ASM sports associate, who paid for her meal worth $40. Miller’s agency also allegedly gave Bridge’s mother a $400 cash advance. After discussion, Miller was allowed to play after making a $40 donation to any charity of his choice. The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

graphics by John Liang, Jennifer Ren, Caroline Tan Deandre Ayton, University of Arizona Ayton was interviewed by the FBI after news broke out of his coach’s discussion with sports agent Dawkins regarding a $100,000 payment. Ayton and his family denied these statements. He was recently cleared to play for the rest of the collegiate season. The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

graphic by John Liang, Jennifer Ren, Caroline Tan Wendell Carter, Duke University Carter and his mother met with sports agent Dawkins to have lunch. The cost of the meal is listed on a spreadsheet, although it is unclear which party paid for the meal. Duke University The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

released a statement saying that the allegations would not affect Carter’s eligibility to play.

graphic by John Liang, Jennifer Ren, Caroline Tan Christian Dawkins, ASM Sports Associate Dawkins was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with three accounts of wire fraud and one account of money-laundering. He also has funneled thousands of dollars to bribe top recruits to sign with sponsored schools. The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

graphic by John Liang, Jennifer Ren, Caroline Tan Andy Miller, President of ASM Sports Miller, a former NBA agent, is a key figure in the NCAA scandal. According to documents seized by the FBI, Miller issued several four or five figure payments to high school and college players. The maddest March yet: a closer look at the NCAA scandal

graphic by John Liang, Jennifer Ren, Caroline Tan Sean Miller, Head Coach at University of Arizona FBI Investigators revealed that Miller was caught on a wiretap discussing $100,000 offer for Deandre Ayton’s commitment to the Arizona Wildcats. The university and Miller have denied these allegations.