FOR ALL the sustained but ineffectual lip service paid to cleansing Division I basketball, an extraordinary opportunity arose last week for the federal government, perhaps aided by truth-seekers in the NCAA, to expose and eliminate the root of the corruption: the influence of sneaker companies.
The federal indictment in Kansas City of Myron Piggie could and should prove that Nike and adidas serve as the mob capos in a national racketeering ring.
While Sonny Vaccaro, Nike’s former lead flesh and influence peddler, who now does the same for adidas, smugly acknowledges that the basketball recruiting process “is a cesspool, and we start the process,” the Piggie case, if pursued to its fullest, will reveal a paper and money trail that will send scores of NCAA programs scrambling for legal cover.
Piggie, 39, is the AAU summer league coach accused last week in a federal indictment of paying more than $35,000 in cash to then-high school stars Corey Maggette (Duke, now the NBA) JaRon and Kareem Rush (UCLA and Missouri), Korleone Young (skipped college to turn pro) and Andre Williams (Oklahoma State).
The feds claim that Piggie expected the money to be returned upon the players turning pro and signing endorsement deals, presumably Nike deals. Nike is Piggie’s benefactor.
Nike, some sports agents and a local booster, according to the indictment, have funded Piggie’s AAU team to the tune of approximately $750,000. Nike, upon learning of Piggie’s indictment, terminated his latest “consultant” deal – $425,000 over five years, plus travel, clothing and expenses. Not bad for an Amateur Athletic Union summer league coach.
And what kind of citizen is Piggie that Nike would embrace him as both a coach and a pied piper to teenagers?
He’s a criminal, a convicted crack dealer, a fellow accused of firing at cops during a drug bust (he plea-bargained to a lesser count of firing a gun in public), a fellow who has done time, a fellow who last year was charged with violating parole by carrying a weapon.
In the current AAU/Nike case, Piggie is being held without bail because witnesses have testified that he has threatened them.
Piggie is the kind of citizen chosen to be bankrolled by Nike as a coach of teenagers, to lure top high school players into Nike servitude. Piggie’s certainly not alone in the Nike/adidas street war to own basketball-blessed children, man of whom are extremely vulnerable, as they are dirt-poor and short on parental guidance.
Piggie, empowered by Nike, is expected to deliver these kids to Nike-owned college programs, universities whose coaches are co-opted through millions of dollars in Nike payola.
Piggie’s empowerment is provided by George Raveling, who replaced Vaccaro at Nike. Raveling, the former USC head coach, until two years ago – and while a Nike executive – was a CBS college basketball analyst. Incredibly, Raveling still serves Fox Sports Net as a college hoops analyst.
Piggie, in the recent investigative book “Sole Influence,” said, “Nike takes care of me like nobody could ever believe. Nike has been behind me 100 percent. I’ve been behind Nike 100 percent.”
It’s incumbent upon the feds to ascertain why Nike would be behind a fine fellow such as Piggie 100 percent, and vice versa. Why would Nike choose to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, merchandise and travel expenses to such a man? Why would Piggie be selected as a Nike pimp?
And why are many of the nation’s most highly-regarded universities and their coaches eager to serve as Piggie’s Johns? Why does the AAU allows men such as Piggie to operate as district leaders?
It’s all there for the asking, fellas. And if the right questions are asked, America’s sneaker cartel, as well as the noble gents of college basketball in the employ of institutions of higher learning who play ball with the Myron Piggies across the country, will finally get what they so richly deserve.
It was inevitable that the Feds could do what the NCAA can’t or won’t. So go get ’em, G-men. Merry hunting to all, and to all a Phil Knight.
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NBC, as is its absurd custom, posted a busy graphic the moment after the opening tip of Raptors-Knicks yesterday, thus distracting audiences – and covering the floor – as soon as play began. Is it possible that NBC would rather have viewers read a graphic instead of watching the opening play of the game? We can’t do both.
Not all graphics relate to goofy TV screen clutter. On Saturday, Cubs-Mets on FSNY: Dennis Cook lays down a sacrifice bunt. He hasn’t yet returned to the dugout when a graphic pops up: “Cook’s first sacrifice bunt since Oct. 6, 1991 [while with the Dodgers].” Awesome.
Not even the NBA playoffs can deter NBC from its infomercial halftimes. Instead of focusing on the game at hand and/or a player or coach within the game, NBC continues to devote halftimes to shilling for the next game. Just another distinguishing feature of NBC Sports in the Dick Ebersol Era. Under Ebersol, what benefits NBC takes precedence over what benefits viewers.
That Tim McCarver and Bobby Murcer could have a lengthy, occasionally mirthful discussion about the increased muscularity of baseball players yesterday on Channel 5, in the midst of an eight-home run game, and not even hint at the use of andro, creatine or MLB’s see-no-evil drug policy was pathetic.
Barry Diller, USA Network boss, not long ago expressed concern that the “Jerry Springer Show,” produced by USA, had become too vile. Today, Diller is locked in a legal war to retain USA’s rights to the WWF, kid-targeted programming that’s far more vile than the Springer show. But the WWF does huge ratings; thus Diller’s sense of moral indignation is flexible.
Condolences to HBO Sports boss Seth Abraham and family on the passing of his mother … Lookalikes: Alan V. Karr submits Janet Reno and John Muckler … The last three minutes of Raptors-Knicks yesterday took 30 minutes to play.
George Dohrmann of the St.Paul Pioneer Press has won a Pulitzer for his stories revealing widespread academic fraud within the University of Minnesota basketball program. Those were the reports condemned by Gov. Jesse Ventura because they diminished UM’s chances in the NCAA Tournament. Still, everyone, from Dan Rather to David Letterman, panders to Ventura as a neat guy and viable presidential candidate.