Seth's take on NCAA Investigation

[former1dog]

Prison for a 19 year old kid taking money from a shoe company? Pretty harsh dont you think. Maybe a deferred sentence and pay restitution to uncle sam for the lost tax dollars plus penalties

Agreed!

Prison for a non violent first offense? Good grief!

In fact, is there even a crime on his part?

[LongIslandZagFan]

As yet....I am not aware anyone has been charged with tax fraud ….as you say....that is a crime.....I am not so sure that giving kids money under these circumstances is a crime....a NCAA Violation.....yes....a crime ??? We shall see....

Again... if that money is not reported... that is a crime. Lying on your FAFSA is fraud... that is a crime.

Also, this:


Bribery is defined as money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust. That is exactly what is going on here and last I checked... it is STILL a crime.

I just don't get why people here defend this. If these things are true, crimes most assuredly occurred and, no, our taxpayer money wasn't wasted.

I guess we shouldn't waste the money to investigate white collar crime, or petty theft, or heck assault or murder at that point. What is the cutoff on crimes to where LE shouldn't bother with them?

[willandi]

Prison for a 19 year old kid taking money from a shoe company? Pretty harsh dont you think. Maybe a deferred sentence and pay restitution to uncle sam for the lost tax dollars plus penalties

Agreed!

Prison for a non violent first offense? Good grief!

In fact, is there even a crime on his part?

He knew that he was breaking the law, no matter if it was coach or a shoe company.

He knowingly defrauded the state of Arizona by being on an athletic scholarship while being paid illegally.

How many millions of dollars were affected by his being a cheater?

It has to start somewhere with someone. Don't want to jail him? OK, require 4000 hours of community service to be served in 2 years. Make him put his millions of NBA dollars on hold while he is being punished.

I am still pissed at the NCAA for rolling over on UNC and ALL the other blue bloods.

Did Zion's mother get paid? Duke should lose schollies and be barred from the tournament for a few years.

Doing nothing, or slapping the wrist and saying he is a 19 yr old first offender is enabling the rotten system. How many kids next year would accept money if they knew that they could go to prison? How many coaches or shoe companies would continue to cheat if they knew that it meant a lifetime ban and/or prison?

How would YOU go about stopping the problem? The kids and/or their families were also the ones demanding this money.

[willandi]

Again... if that money is not reported... that is a crime. Lying on your FAFSA is fraud... that is a crime.

Also, this:


Bribery is defined as money or favor given or promised in order to influence the judgment or conduct of a person in a position of trust. That is exactly what is going on here and last I checked... it is STILL a crime.

I just don't get why people here defend this. If these things are true, crimes most assuredly occurred and, no, our taxpayer money wasn't wasted.

I guess we shouldn't waste the money to investigate white collar crime, or petty theft, or heck assault or murder at that point. What is the cutoff on crimes to where LE shouldn't bother with them?

But what law did he break? Everyone agrees that it is sleazy, or at least most of us do but you’re allowing your emotions to get in the way the facts. Taking money is not against the law. Now, if he did not report it on his taxes, which I’m sure he did not then yes the IRS by all means has every right to go after him but you keep saying that he broke the law by getting paid. OK, what law?

He accepted money illegally, under the table.

That means...against the law. I am not an attorney, didn't play one on TV and din't sleep in a Holiday Inn last night, but I know that accepting money under the table is against the law. Fraud if not declared on his taxes, and defrauding the state of Arizona would be my first thoughts.

Add in what LIZF posted.

I would also suggest that by your (you're, yore) not being able to see this, perhaps those emotions are getting in yore way

[TexasZagFan]

I'm not emotional at all, I couldn't care less one way or the other. What do you mean by "illegally"? If I give you cash for performance, that's not illegal. Now, if you refuse to report it to the IRS, that's on you.

Under current law, if you give someone "cash for performance" exceeding $600, you are required to issue that person a 1099. Ayton apparently received tens of thousands over that limit, as did these go-betweens for the shoe companies.

Welcome back, spy.

ETA: Actually, it's on both parties: the payer for not reporting the payment, and the payee for not declaring the income. You have various parties claiming in court they paid monies to certain players. I would expect that the federal prosecutors have evidence of those cash payments. Several people have pleaded guilty already, with more to come.

While you "couldn't care less", others like me (who have dealt with the IRS up close and personal) want to see our laws applied equitably and fairly. The federal government has a great opportunity to do this in these cases, and in the college admissions scandal. Otherwise, it plays out like the series Billions, where Bobby Axelrod, Chuck Rhoades, and the rest of the amoral cast of characters put themselves above and beyond the law.

[willandi]

I'm not emotional at all, I couldn't care less one way or the other. What do you mean by "illegally"? If I give you cash for performance, that's not illegal. Now, if you refuse to report it to the IRS, that's on you.

People have cited the law. Refusing to see their examples is on you.

Being dispassionate is also an emotion.

[Zagceo]

But what law did he break? Everyone agrees that it is sleazy, or at least most of us do but you’re allowing your emotions to get in the way the facts. Taking money is not against the law. Now, if he did not report it on his taxes, which I’m sure he did not then yes the IRS by all means has every right to go after him but you keep saying that he broke the law by getting paid. OK, what law?

This whole case is based on the sleaze factor.

The Feds are claiming schools like Kansas and Arizona are somehow being defrauded by these kids attending them while coaches/handlers are paying the kids to attend.

its a farce..exhibit A...Miller

[amaronizag]

It's illegal and all involved are guilty. The ones potentially hurt the most are the kids, even though they go into it with eyes wide open. They are being used and tempted into doing the wrong thing. I think their punishment upon getting drafted into the NBA should be paying big fines that go back to school systems in the poorest communities. AND also require the offenders to complete many hours of community service using their story to tell other impressionable youth in schools and basketball programs to stay in school, stay on the right path, and not be tempted by big $$$ from selling drugs, joining gangs, or other illicit schemes that will ruin their lives. Require them to use their star status for good instead of just squandering all of their money without helping others. Maybe the whole process can be made legal with the requirement that part of the money and community service is earmarked for the things I mentioned even though there is no longer a crime.

[willandi]

Farce is the perfect word. Shamockery is another.

Where do you draw the line?

If a 19 yr old kills some one, do you let him off because of his youth and because other kids are doing it?

How about if he's selling drugs, pimping?

Where do you draw the line? The law was clearly broken. A head in the sand approach does no one any good, but that is what you are advocating.

[TexasZagFan]

Where do you draw the line?

If a 19 yr old kills some one, do you let him off because of his youth and because other kids are doing it?

How about if he's selling drugs, pimping?

Where do you draw the line? The law was clearly broken. A head in the sand approach does no one any good, but that is what you are advocating.

The Dallas DA recently announced that he will stop prosecuting minor crimes, to include shoplifting under $750. I'm sure small business owners like willandi don't appreciate this action.

You can expect Walmart and other retailers to start putting baby formula under lock and key...oops, they already do.

[Zagceo]

FARCE

The victim of this fraud conspiracy, according to prosecutors? Kansas, a school with one of the wealthiest college basketball programs in the country, whose coach makes nearly $5 million annually to oversee an amateur team that is regularly one of the star attractions in the Big 12 Conference (which has packaged basketball and football television rights to help generate $371 million in annual revenue) and in the NCAA tournament (which generates more than $850 million for the NCAA and member schools each year).

The mother was not charged with a crime, but according to experts familiar with federal investigations, she probably will be threatened with the prospect of arrest by prosecutors, if she hasn’t been already, as they seek her testimony against Adidas officials.

“When you have a system that generates billions of dollars in revenue and you have an unpaid labor force, you’re going to breed a black market,” Jackson said. “That’s just a fact.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/latest-college-basketball-charges-make-it-clear-the-fbi-is-enforcing-ncaa-rules/2018/04/13/d49e40f4-3e8e-11e8-8d53-eba0ed2371cc_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8ea5e1ac4862

[CDC84]

I like some of the comments underneath Seth's tweet:

Jason Reid Franklin @realcookingbear · Apr 30
Replying to @SethDavisHoops

This is the most “ I really want to keep my exclusive interviews with top coaches” tweet of all time.

Jordan Majewski @jorcubsdan · Apr 30
Might as well say “Promoted by NCAA” at the bottom

Bass Ackwards @ChadinJax · Apr 30
Dan Wetzel. Sharpie.

Bradley smith @bradleysmith28
Replying to @SethDavisHoops
I am completely shocked a duke grad would say this.

[bballbeachbum]

I like some of the comments underneath Seth's tweet:

perfect, lol

there's this latest development too re. Izzo in this

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaabk/man-at-center-of-fbi-case-tom-izzo-flat-out-refused-to-pay-for-a-recruit/ar-AAANIQb?ocid=spartanntp

Izzo said at Big Ten media day in October 2018 that he did not feel vindicated by being cleared and hopes college basketball can “clean up our act.”
“I’ve hoped this from Day 1, that coaches are held accountable and consequences are according to what they do,” Izzo said. “But I think players should be held accountable, I think parents should be held accountable. Accountable shouldn’t be a one-person deal – we all should be held accountable. And that’s what I’d like to see.”

sounds like Few

[Zagceo]

Colleges have drifted from Scholarships are enough to reward athletes to allowing monthly stipends....how much longer until student athletes can earn whatever the kid sitting next to him in class is allowed to earn outside the classroom?

These are not laws passed by lawmakers these are rules created by colleges. Why doesn't the stipend defraud? Because there was a RULE change

[Ladyzag12]

Private party to private party bribery is against the law in some states, not federally. That is why they got these guys on racketeering and wire fraud. I do think this is a massive waste of FBI dollars and effort. This money also doesn't change the financial status of players going to schools on full athletic scholarships. The NCAA should have investigated this years ago. Everything should be brought above board and schools should be able to pay whatever they want to athletes.