Report: Sean Miller Caught On FBI Wire Taps Discussing Paying Recruit
(WWJ) - Arizona men's basketball coach Sean Miller may be directly involved in paying a recruit to come to Arizona.
FBI wiretaps reveal Miller talking with sports agency middleman Christian Dawkins about a $100,000 payment to secure a commitment from DeAndre Ayton, according to a report from ESPN's Mark Schlabach.
According to people with knowledge of the FBI investigation, Miller and Dawkins, a runner working for ASM Sports agent Andy Miller, had multiple conversations about Ayton. When Dawkins asked Miller if he should work with assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson to finalize their agreement, Miller told Dawkins he should deal directly with him when it came to money, the sources said.
Dawkins and Andy Miller were hot topics Friday as Yahoo! Sports broke news about multiple teams, players and coaches involved in the FBI's probe into NCAA basketball.
The 6-foot-11 Ayton, considered one of the top freshmen in the country and a top NBA Draft prospect, is leading the Wildcats in points and rebounds and has Arizona as a force to be reckoned with in the NCAA Tournament.
There are more than 3,000 hours worth of wiretapped phone calls in the FBI's probe, and more coaches, players and programs are expected to be outed during the investigation.
If Sean Miller is found to have violated NCAA rules, not only would he lose his job, but, per his contract, he'd have to pay Arizona up to $300,000 in damages related to the case.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 24, 2018
Michigan State's Miles Bridges was named as a player who may have accepted impermissible benefits. His mother allegedly accepted $400 in cash advances from Dawkins and let him pay for a lunch, according to the Yahoo! report.