The NCAA has launched an investigation into the besieged Arizona basketball program in relation to the ongoing federal trial involving bribery, a university spokesman reportedly confirmed the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson Friday night.
According to a story in Sports Illustrated, several prominent names in college basketball, who are not witnesses or defendants in the trial, have been implicated, including head coach Sean Miller.
The school initially denied the story before confirming it to several local media outlets Saturday afternoon.
Former Arizona assistant Book Richardson pleaded guilty in January to accepting $20,000 in bribes to steer players to aspiring sports manager Christian Dawkins and certain financial advisers once they turn pro. During the trial, Dawkins testified he had a “pretty good relationship’’ with Miller and didn’t need to bribe Richardson to get Wildcat players as clients.
Federal prosecutors Wednesday played a recording of a phone call in which Richardson told Dawkins that Miller was paying star center Deandre Ayton $10,000 per month while he was enrolled in school.
Miller has adamantly denied paying players to attend the university.
Richardson also said during a surveillance recording he was making $2,000 monthly payments to Rodney Labossiere, the cousin of Arizona guard Rawle Alkins, who was living in Tucson. In July 2017, Richardson asked for an additional $15,000 from Dawkins and his partner Munish Sood to give to the mother of 2018 recruit Jahvon Quinerly a McDonald’s All America point guard from Hudson, NJ Catholic. Richardson said he planned to make three payments of $5,000 each and would also pay her $10,000 of his own money.
That should give NCAA investigators some material to deal with when they arrive on campus Monday.
