US Justice Accuses 10 People of Bribery in College Basketball Scandal

The US justice system accused 10 people on Tuesday, including four college basketball coaches, a high-ranking Adidas executive, and a former NBA star, Chuck Person, of receiving or paying bribes to steer high school players towards specific universities.

According to the indictment released by the federal prosecutor's office in Manhattan, Jim Gatto, global head of basketball marketing at Adidas, conspired with coaches to pay high school athletes to play at universities sponsored by Adidas.

In one of the cases, Gatto and other defendants are suspected of paying $100,000 to the family of an unidentified high school basketball player to persuade him to enroll in a university in Kentucky.

The indictment does not identify the university. The US press believes it may be the University of Louisville, which signed a $160 million sponsorship deal with Adidas in August.

If confirmed, it would be another blow for this university, already shaken by a scandal involving its basketball recruiting methods, which included, among other things, the use of prostitutes to gain an advantage.

The two main college sports, basketball and American football, generate millions of dollars each year for the universities, the NCAA organization that manages college championships, and the coaches.

But NCAA players cannot receive any financial compensation. The major sports apparel companies compete to secure sponsorships with universities that have the best players, as it gives them tremendous visibility.

The accusations announced on Tuesday also involve coaches who allegedly colluded with sports agents in exchange for bribes to persuade certain players to hire these agents once they turned professional.

Among them is Chuck Person, assistant coach of the Auburn University basketball team. During the 80s and 90s, Person played in over 900 NBA games and was well-known. This information was disclosed on the website www.businessinsider.com.