You can’t just blame the agents for this one.
The FBI has wiretaps of conversations between Arizona head coach Sean Miller and Christian Dawkins, a runner for ASM Sports, in which Miller talks about paying $100,000 to make sure current star freshman DeAndre Ayton landed with the Wildcats, according to an ESPN report.
Dawkins, who was working under ASM sports agent Andy Miller, is a major figure in the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball, which according to Yahoo Sports will implicate players and coaches from some of the nation’s top programs.
During the taped conversations, Miller was asked by Dawkins if he should work with then-assistant coach Emanuel “Book” Richardson about finalizing the agreement with Ayton. Miller, according to ESPN’s report, told Dawkins to deal directly with him when it came to money.
The calls are among 3,000 hours intercepted from Dawkins’ phone. According to Yahoo Sports, Dawkins can be heard on wiretaps claiming he can attend Arizona practices, “like I’m on the team.”
The 7-foot-1 Ayton is averaging 19.6 points and 10.9 rebounds per game while helping No. 14 Arizona to a 22-6 record. The Wildcats currently sit atop the Pac-12 standings with three games to play. Star point guard Allonzo Trier recently was declared ineligible by the NCAA after testing positive for a banned substance. Ayton, who is from the Bahamas, is expected to be a high lottery pick in this year’s draft.
Richardson, who was fired on Jan. 11, was arrested by the FBI on Sept. 27 during the initial rollout of the two-year investigation’s findings. He is accused of taking $20,000 in bribes and paying players to attend Arizona. He is charged with six felonies.
At the time, Miller denied knowledge of Richardson’s wrongdoings.
“As the head basketball coach at the University of Arizona, I recognize my responsibility is not only to establish a culture of success on the basketball court and in the classroom, but as important, to promote and reinforce a culture of compliance,” Miller said in a statement released in September. “To the best of my ability, I have worked to demonstrate this over the past eight years and will continue to do so as we move forward.”
Dawkins was charged with wire fraud in December and earlier Friday was implicated in a Yahoo report, along with ASM Sports founder Andy Miller, for impermissible loans and payments going to players from programs like Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky and Alabama.