UA lawyer: No evidence Ayton received money
An attorney for the University of Arizona said there is “not a shred of evidence” to suggest Arizona forward Deandre Ayton or his family received money or benefits to ensure he played for the Wildcats.
Attorney Paul Kelly on Sunday responded to media reports suggesting the star player should be deemed ineligible to play over speculation the family received money in exchange for a commitment to Arizona.
“These reports are false and unfounded,” Kelly said in a statement.
Kelly said the 7-foot-1-inch Ayton, considered to be a top NBA draft pick after this season, has abided by all
rules and regulations and is fully eligible to participate as a member of the men’s basketball team.
An ‘honorable young man’
Ayton has voluntarily submitted to several interviews in the past several months with the FBI, the university and Pac-12 compliance officials.
He also has been interviewed by attorneys hired by the university to conduct a wide-ranging review of the men’s basketball program.
The college freshman has “credibly and consistently maintained” that neither he, nor any member of his family, received anything to influence his decision to play for the Wildcats, Kelly said.
“On a personal note, we have found (Ayton) to be an outstanding and honorable young man who has been truthful and cooperative in all of our dealings with him,” he said.
Miller: ‘I will be vindicated’
The statement comes two days after Ayton was named in an ESPN report that linked Ayton and Arizona head basketball coach Sean Miller to an ongoing FBI investigation into NCAA basketball recruiting.
The ESPN report said the FBI intercepted telephone conversations where Miller talked about paying $100,000 to ensure that Ayton signed with the Wildcats. The report did not accuse Ayton of any wrongdoing.
Miller maintained his innocence in a statement issued Saturday, saying, “I will be vindicated.”
Ayton’s relatives issued their own statement late Saturday, saying they were “outraged and disgusted” by news reports that falsely implied Ayton or his family were involved in illegal activities.
“Deandre directly stated to the FBI, more than six months ago, that he never discussed or solicited payments from the University of Arizona, or any other university, or any shoe company or anyone on behalf of either — period,” the statement said. “This includes basketball and anything else.”
Ayton played in Saturday’s game against Oregon, but Miller did not coach. Associate head coach Lorenzo Romar took over those duties. Miller said both he and university officials felt it was in the best interest of the team that he not coach the game.
Fraud charges are far-reaching
The FBI has been conducting an ongoing probe into NCAA basketball recruiting.
Last September, Miller’s long-time assistant, Emanuel “Book” Richardson, was one of 10 individuals arrested on criminal charges stemming from a wide-ranging FBI investigation into the criminal influence of money on NCAA coaches and student athletes. Four of the individuals were assistant coaches.
There was no hint in the 59-page federal complaint that Miller knew about any of Richardson’s alleged activities.
Prosecutors say there were two fraud and corruption schemes:
In the first, college-basketball assistant coaches are accused of taking cash bribes from athlete advisers (business managers and financial managers) in exchange for directing college players and their families to retain the services of the advisers who were allegedly paying the bribes.
In the second, a senior executive at Adidas is accused of funneling bribe payments to high-school players and their families to secure commitments to attend universities that Adidas held contracts with, rather than schools that had contracts with rival companies.
Richardson was indicted on federal fraud and bribery charges and is accused of accepting $20,000 in bribes, purportedly to steer players to a particular management company when those players turned pro. Richardson has entered a plea of not guilty. He was fired by the university in January.
The FBI investigation is ongoing. The university last year hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation and a second firm to respond to any potential NCAA violations.