Lousiana State has suspended men’s basketball coach Will Wade indefinitely.The decision a come after reports that FBI wiretaps intercepted telephone calls between Wade and would be agent Christian Dawkins, in which Wade expressed frustration on not being able to get a verbal commitment from a blue chip recruit after making what he described a ‘strong ass offer.”
LSU AD Joe Alleva said the school has an obligation to protect the integrity of the institution until it can ensure full compliance with the NCAA.
Assistant Tony Benford will coach the 10th ranked Tigers (25-5) today when they play last place Vanderbilt as they attempt to clinch their first SEC regular season title since 2009. Wade expressed his commitment to LSU’s players and coaches, suggesting media reports don’t begin to tell the full story.
The SEC office supported LSU’s actions, which were taken in the wake of reported details in Yahoo Sports about the contents of one of the calls between Wade and Dawkins, which occurred in 2017, when the FBI was monitoring one of Dawkins cell phones as part of an investigation into college basketball corruption.
Sources close to the situation have indicated Wade was frustrated with the handler of current LSU freshman guard Javonte Smart, a Top 50 prospect from Baton Rouge who eventually signed with the Tigers.
“I was thinking last night on this Smart thing,’’ Wade told Dawkins during the transcript of one of the calls. “I’ll be honest with you. I’m tired of dealing with this thing. It shouldn’t be that bleeping complicated.
“Dude,’’ Wade continued. “I went to the handler with a strong ass offer about a month ago. The problem was, it was tilted toward the family a little bit. It was tilted toward taking care of the mom, taking care of the kid. …I know now, he didn’t get enough of the piece of the pie in the deal.“It was a hell of an offer, especially for a kid who is going to be a two-or three-year kid.’’
