As the world of college basketball reels over recent alleged bribery cases, many anticipate the scope of the scandal will only widen.
The cases involve assistant men’s basketball coaches from at least four NCAA schools, financial advisers looking to sign top prospects and an executive at sports apparel company Adidas.
F.B.I. complaints allege two separate schemes: one to influence families of top high school prospects to sign at certain Adidas sponsored schools, and another to influence top college players to sign with certain financial advisors and Adidas once in the NBA.
Debra Corum, interim athletic director at SUU, also an Adidas sponsored school, says even if head coaches can’t legally be implicated they may still have to answer to the NCAA and their institution.
“…the NCAA has a new—it’s a relatively new—it’s within the last five years, a new rule that a head coach is responsible for anything that happens in that head coach’s program. So when you see that four assistant coaches—and really actually more than that overnight—were arrested for wire fraud and breaking NCAA rules—my questions is—by NCAA rules those head coaches are now responsible with the NCAA.”
Corum’s prediction proved accurate. Hours after our conversation, the University of Louisville fired head coach Rick Pitino.
