Nike Hit with Major Allegations About Zion Williamson Bribery by Michael Avenatti
Michael Avenatti, the disgraced celebrity lawyer who was arrested in late March on a litany of charges, is continuing to target Nike in an apparent crusade to expose corruption in collegiate sports.
As CNBC notes, Avenatti was arrested for allegedly embezzling a client’s money, defrauding a bank and trying to extort $25 million from Nike.
Late Friday, he targeted not just the NCAA but specific players in a Twitter storm. And he went straight for the biggest superstar in all of college sports.
Duke forward Zion Williamson has gotten swept up into Avenatti’s web of controversy after his mother’s name was thrown out by the lawyer in an attack on Nike.
“Can you please ask Zion Williamson’s mother – Sharonda Sampson – whether she was paid by @nike for bogus ‘consulting services’ in 2016/2017 as part of a Nike bribe to get Zion to go to Duke?” Avenatti tweeted.
.@DukeMBB – About this denial by Coach K the other day relating to payments by Nike…Can you please ask Zion Williamson’s mother – Sharonda Sampson – whether she was paid by @nike for bogus “consulting services” in 2016/17 as part of a Nike bribe to get Zion to go to Duke? Thx.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 6, 2019
He followed up by asking Duke to look into financial arrangements between Nike and Sampson.
I almost forgot – long day – @DukeMBB can you also have your close friends at @Nike check their Nike Vendor Portal for payments to “Sharonda Sampson Consulting”. Just search 2016 to the present. Appreciate it.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 6, 2019
Avenatti claimed other prospective college athletes weren’t given a fair shake due to Nike bribing athletes to go to schools that have deals with the shoe company.
“Was it fair for some colleges to lose out on recruits because Nike had bribed the recruits with illegal payments so they would play at other ‘Nike’ schools?” he tweeted.
“Was it fair for Nike to take advantage of the players and their families by paying the bribes and then demanding loyalty?”
Was it fair for some colleges to lose out on recruits because Nike had bribed the recruits with illegal payments so they would play at other “Nike” schools? Was it fair for Nike to take advantage of the players and their families by paying the bribes and then demanding loyalty?
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 5, 2019
Immediately before going after Williamson and Duke, Avenatti targeted Nike executive Carlton DeBose in a Twitter rant.
1/3 – Carlton DeBose, a Nike executive, has bribed over 100 high school players over the last 4 years to play college basketball at colleges affiliated with Nike as opposed to other schools. He has used bogus invoices and countless coaches to further the scheme & deliver the $…
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 5, 2019
2/3 – Nike’s most senior execs knew about it and looked the other way, as did many of the colleges. Nike also undertook large efforts to hide it from the NCAA & federal investigators. Some colleges lost out on some of the best high school recruits because of Nike’s bribes…
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 5, 2019
Avenatti claimed that Nike had been engaging in illicit bribery for years to help spread control and influence over the college basketball world.
The 48-year-old lawyer then almost seemed to dare Nike to dispute his allegations.
3/3 – If I am lying, @nike should issue a stmt immediately stating no such payments were ever made and calling me out. They won’t because they know it is 100% true and they covered-up for years.
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 5, 2019
To cap it off, Avenatti seemed to promise even more explosive allegations against Nike in the coming days.
Tmrw promises to be exciting. To those who thought I would curl up in the fetal position, you haven’t been paying attention the last 18 months and you clearly know nothing about how I am built. #ManInTheArena
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 6, 2019
Considering Avenatti has gone after one of the biggest college basketball programs, one of the biggest basketball stars and one of the biggest apparel brands in the world, it’s hard to imagine his allegations getting any more explosive than that.
However, whether there’s any substance to his claims remains to be seen.
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