AAU Team Director Pleads Guilty in adidas Fraud Case

ESPN are reporting that one member involved in an NCAA basketball has plead guilty. Thomas Gassnola has confessed to wire fraud conspiracy, in which he worked with officials to swindle company money and use it to bribe college basketball players.

To get around a system that rules players can't be paid to play, perpetrators allegedly won players’ allegiance to adidas-sponsored basketball colleges by funnelling money to them and their families.

The case alleges that Gassnola worked with adidas executive James Gatto to give families hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, which then disqualified players from competing at their chosen schools.

The whole ordeal is messy and seems to have jeopardised the careers of promising players. You can dive into the details over at ESPN.