University of Miami President Releases Statement in FBI Recruiting Scandal

The FBI scandal that has enveloped college basketball since being announced has had a thinly veiled reference of involvement to the University of Miami. Miami President Julio Frenk issued a statement on where the Hurricanes are in the FBI’s investigation.

The Miami Basketball program is at a crossroads depending on what the impending investigations uncover.  The letter is posted on the University of Miami website.  Frenk referenced the indictments of “ten individuals involved with men’s college basketball”.

He goes on to say that “The University of Miami was not named in the indictments nor was any University employee charged or identified.” He later acknowledged that the US Attorney’s Office is investigating a potential tie to a member of the Miami Basketball coaching staff and a potential recruit.

Frenk pledged that the University of Miami is committed to a high level of integrity and finding out the truth. He also mentioned that the University is committed to a full and complete cooperation with both the FBI and NCAA investigations.

Frenk also pledged the University of Miami will be involved in jointly reviewing any information with the NCAA. He summed up his letter to the University of Miami community’s patience on the investigations being conducted by the FBI and NCAA.

The speculation on who the coach is has not yet been determined. The recruit in question seems to be Nassir Little. His family issued their own statement through his AAU team 1 Family. They denied any involvement or soliciting any funds or being contacted regarding any bribes.

Little’s AAU Coach Brad Augustine is one of the coaches who is alleged to have been involved in the bribes. He is referred to in the indictment as “individuals affiliated with Company-1”.

Little is indirectly referred to as “in the scheme to facilitate payments to Player-12 in order to secure Player-12’s commitment to attend University-7 (believed to be Miami)” The amount that was being discussed was alleged to have been $150,000 in the indictment of Adidas Director of Global Sports Marketing Jim Gatto, his associates and several others.

Frenk’s letter is a pledge to the University of Miami community how he and the school at large is going to handle the various investigations that are sure to follow.

Dear University of Miami Family:

As you may be aware, the U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday the indictments of ten individuals involved with men’s college basketball across the country on charges ranging from bribery to wire fraud. The University of Miami was not named in the indictments nor was any University employee charged or identified. However, we have confirmed with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that, at this time, it is investigating a potential tie to one member of our coaching staff and a student recruit.

While we are alarmed and disappointed, we are steadfast in our belief that we must also act with the highest level of integrity and commitment to the pursuit of truth. To that end, we have pledged our full and complete cooperation with the Department of Justice probe as well as to the NCAA, with whom we will jointly review any relevant matters. The legal process and any NCAA joint review will likely take some time, so I urge patience for all who love our University.

We are a strong institution, and I can assure you that we will do what is right, even if doing so is hard.

Thank you for your continued support of the University and Hurricanes Athletics.

Sincerely,

There has been no indication if or how the investigations would impact the 2017-18 Miami Basketball season. There have been some unsubstantiated allegations out there that speculated on how was Miami able to secure star players like Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker.

Next: Miami Basketball Potential Involvement in Bribery Case

There is nothing out there presently that imply that either of their recruitments involved the Adidas scandal. As an Adidas school, the Hurricanes will be implicated in the scandal from both the media and college basketball fans until they have been exonerated.