Report: Duke, UNC, Michigan State, Kansas appear in FBI corruption probe

Several prominent programs, including Duke, Michigan State, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina, and their players are identified in the ongoing FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball, Yahoo Sports reported Friday.

The report also details players who allegedly received impermissible benefits, including the 2017 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Alabama’s Collin Sexton and Duke’s Wendell Carter. Dennis Smith Jr., a lottery pick by the Dallas Mavericks in 2017, is also identified.

The report focuses on the work of former NBA agent Andy Miller and ASM Sports, his agency. Yahoo reports the discovery of documents detailing cash advances and entertainment and travel expenses paid for multiple college prospects and their families.

A two-year federal investigation could encircle more than 40 college programs and “elite” coaches, according to ESPN. The investigation used wiretaps, emails, bank records and records seized from offices at ASM, Miller’s home and college campuses.

NCAA president Mark Emmert issued a statement Friday in response to the report.

“These allegations, if true, point to systematic failures that must be fixed and fixed now if we want college sports in America,” NCAA president Mark Emmert said. “Simply put, people who engage in this kind of behavior have no place in college sports. They are an affront to all those who play by the rules.”

San Diego State suspended senior forward Malik Pope on Friday after he was named in the Yahoo report. Documents indicated a $1,400 payment listed next to Pope’s name, reportedly made during his sophomore season.

Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher is unsure whether Pope will be reinstated for next month’s Mountain West tournament in Las Vegas.

“We’re going to do an internal investigation and where that leads, and how quickly it leads, will be based on what the athletic department discovers and how quickly they act on it,” Dutcher told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Per Yahoo, six players are alleged to have received payments exceeding $10,000. They include Smith, the Mavericks’ point guard who received $73,500 in loans from ASM before he played for NC State; Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead, who received more than $37,000 around the time he was a freshman at Seton Hall; and Fultz, who received $10,000.

Louisville fired head coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich for allegedly funneling money from Adidas executives James Gatto and Merl Code to a five-star recruit.

In addition to the powerhouse programs, Louisville also appears in the Yahoo report for potential violations, a list that also includes South Carolina, Texas, USC, Clemson, Utah, Xavier, North Carolina State and Alabama, among others.

“With these latest allegations, it’s clear this work is more important now than ever,” Emmert said.

–Field Level Media