Yahoo! Sports has released some e-mail conversations that were taken as part of the FBI investigation into college basketball.
The e-mails discuss a several of college basketball’s top teams and players.
Here is an excerpt:
“Markelle fultz meeting was good,” Dawkins wrote to his supervisors on Aug. 20, 2016. “Kid, mom and Keith Williams [Fultz’s workout coach and advisor] came and met with Matt Mirchin from under armour and Ron Johnson. … Keith said I should try to be in Seattle as much as possible with the kid.” (The previous month in an email, Dawkins noted that Fultz projected as the No. 1 pick and was contemplating playing professionally overseas. “What would be the marketplace this late?” Dawkins wrote in an email.)
In the same email, Dawkins summarized a meeting with Apples Jones, the mother of Kansas’ Josh Jackson and a self-styled AAU entrepreneur: “His situation is going to get done at the very end. UA is giving her 10k a month and she’s also getting paid by adidas now — so she’s plenty taken care of. She actually works all of under armours events now and talks to the parents as a “advisor”. I do think she’s honest when she says she has only spoken with (agent) Bj Armstrong at this point. After further dialog I don’t think Duffy will be in there — but you can’t count him out ever. We will have to discuss how we will handle the moms boyfriend moving forward.” (A Kansas official pointed to their statement earlier Friday).
Jones started her own AAU program, funded by Under Armour, when Jackson was in high school. It’s unclear why she also allegedly got paid by Adidas. As for taking care of “moms boyfriend,” an item in Dawkins’ expense report from two months earlier shows an expenditure of $367.01 at a Candlewood Suites with the description, “Room for Josh Jackson stepdad.” As Yahoo Sports reported earlier Friday, Dawkins’ expense reports also list two cash advances to Jones totaling $2,700. (Jones denied taking anything from Miller or Dawkins to ESPN on Friday afternoon).
The incoming freshman in 2016 who appeared of primary interest to Dawkins was Michigan State’s Miles Bridges. The two hail from nearby cities — Dawkins from Saginaw, Michigan, and Bridges from Flint — and documents indicate that Dawkins spent considerable time in contact with the Bridges family and with Spartans assistant coach Dwayne Stephens.
In May 2016, Dawkins’ expense reports list a dinner with Bridges’ parents, and also a $400 ATM withdrawal labeled as “Miles Bridges mom advance.” In the two months of Dawkins’ emails viewed by Yahoo Sports, Dawkins frequently listed Cynthia Bridges as someone he planned to contact. And a July 27 email said he had a “late night” meeting arranged with Miles Bridges.
