It doesnt make it right, but it explains how an individual like Mr Code ends up in this courtroom today.. Is it the guy who goes out and helps a kids family cover their rent by getting them paid under the table for their work and their talents? Most of the penalties, though, were aimed at the Bluejays program for its failure to properly investigate the case. The lead agent barked, Are you Merl Code? That was the first and last time I ever heard evidence of that call. I thank the NCAA staff for their thorough investigation, Rasmussen said in a prepared statement. The NCAA put the Creighton mens basketball program on two years probation Tuesday after finding a former assistant coach accepted cash from a management agency, while the athletic director did his own investigation and kept the findings to himself until the FBI released details of a corruption scandal. That changed when Code and Gatto became two of the 10 basketball industry figures arrested in a federal probe thats shaken the sport to its core.. An ensuing Yahoo! It appears that all this type of conduct is prevalent in college basketball and other college sports, the judge said at my sentencing. Accepting prize money based on performance/finish at a competition. If you go to the NCAA website, they lay out the myth for everyone to see: Below are some situations that may impact a prospective student-athletes amateur status. Students of American history, or world history for that matter, will be tempted to say theyve heard of this type of arrangement before. Its those kids and families who are often overlooked in all of this. My wife, Candance, who has a PhD in occupational therapy and was pregnant with my son August at the time, and I had just returned from a surprise trip to Canada for her birthday. And thats a window into why that judge could call me a very decent human being before sentencing me to prison time for doing things that he conceded are prevalent in college basketball and other college sports..
Tell me why Im under arrest now., No, Ill tell you when you get in the car., Listen, man, I know enough about the law to know that you have to tell me why Im under arrest., The next thing I knew, one of the officers was playing a recording of me talking to Christian Dawkins, a young up-and-coming sports agent that Id mentored in the past. A moneymaking scheme to rake in billions of dollars, while the workers producing the product arent allowed to profit themselves? But a felon? Well see how that goes, but even healthy endorsement deals are just a fraction of the money athletes earn for the athletic departments they play for. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Theres also the strong relationship between J.C. (Rollins) and her husband Garrett (Bent), which is something that is that we dont usually get to see.. She was in the bathroom, getting ready to go to work. Thats why I only got a three-month sentence for charges that in other circumstances merit much longer sentences under federal guidelines.
California Consumer Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Thats when it began, the nightmare. Download it here. The meeting violated NCAA rules because it formalized a business relationship in which the management company could attempt to use Murphy to access to Creighton players. The NCAA, college sports governing body, has sold the myth of amateurism for decades. So was I involved in breaking the rules of the NCAAs absurd system?
In an extract from his new book, Merl Code explains how he found himself in the middle of a corruption scandal that rocked the NCAA. Receiving funds or money to offset training expenses. It was a bizarre scenario that seemed more like a horrific dream. You were involved in money laundering, said the officer. They include a $5,000 fine plus 1% of the basketball program budget, the loss of a scholarship each of the next two years and a reduction in mens basketball recruiting trips and visits. My story will shed more light on one of the most compelling social justice issues in modern American life: the systematic manipulation of young Black men and their loved ones for the love of money. But should paying talented athletes something approaching a fair living wage be a crime? But the meeting itself violated NCAA rules because the receipt of money formalized a business relationship in which the management company could attempt to use the coach to gain access to Creighton players. Indentured servitude is a nice way of calling it what it actually is: a form of slavery. This is an edited excerpt from Black Market: An Insiders Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball by Merl Code 2022 by Merl Code, used with permission from HarperCollins/Hanover Square Press. Is it really so wrong for the NCAA student athletes to get a small piece of the wealth they generate for their schools and apparel outfitters? I know which side of that argument I take, but Ill also concede that its not black-and-white. Specifically, the assistant coach prioritized loyalty to his friend, the agent associate; and the athletics director looked past alarming conduct based on his trust in the assistant coach.. Wait, what? The Bluejays went 24-9 during the 2019-20 season before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the FBI shocked the college basketball world with its 2017 announcement of charges in a corruption scandal, I was caught in the cross fire. Aggravated, clad only in a T-shirt and underwear, I opened the door and was greeted by the shocking sight of close to 20 FBI officers on my porch, lawn, driveway and the adjacent street. Yet the season was not without controversy. While the assistant coach was never charged with a crime, the NCAA still slapped him with a two-year show-cause penalty. The committee on infractions said the assistant coach, Preston Murphy, had attended a meeting in a Las Vegas hotel in which he was recorded accepting $6,000 in an envelope. It was a Tuesday. I do not think it was an accident that the famous, mostly white, head coaches and university administrators were shielded from the legal implications, and even the public scrutiny, that came from the FBI investigation. They followed up the breakthrough year with their best season under coach Greg McDermott, going 22-9 and finishing second in the Big East before advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. I heard somebody knocking at the door. Youre under arrest!, Nope. A criminal who required an entire tactical team of federal agents to arrest me at the crack of dawn? Ive sat in their living rooms and heard their stories. More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25, FILE - In this March 17, 2017, file photo, Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy, right, stands as players warm up during practice in Omaha, Neb. I think its really about decisions being made and those consequences. Rasmussen has spent more than 40 years at Creighton, including 27 as the athletic director, and has been honored by Under Armour as Division Is AD of the year a record four times. Theres a lot of it and its so easy to take it. The overwhelming majority of major Division I basketball and football players are African Americans from underprivileged backgrounds. Ive seen the look in a 16-year-olds eyes when he gets the first truly new, not-passed-down set of clothes hes ever worn.
The committee gave Rasmussen a Level II penalty after finding he conducted his own investigation without notifying or coordinating with the compliance office. 2022, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. I lived my entire professional life in the gray. I should know. Rasmussen determined that no violation had occurred and kept the information to himself until the FBIs case came to public light several months later. September 26. Race, money and exploitation: why college sport is still the new plantation, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Adidas executives Merl Code and Jim Gatto were widely known in the basketball industry as benevolent dealmakers, behind-the-scenes shakers and confidants of the sports boldfaced names, read the column. Thats not a decision that I can make thats an adidas decision and I will certainly ask Gatto and see what they want to do.. The bullshit. Promoting or endorsing a commercial product or service. Ive been part of this pattern of abuse for most of my career. Ive consoled single mothers crying as they struggled to provide for their children. Learn More. We go through the sexual assault, theres the murder investigation and cover up, but then theres also the lives of these players the drug addictions, young pregnancies, relationships and first loves that we deal with. Come on! Murphys lawyers said he returned the money after the meeting. The multi-award winning television series The West Wing launched Rollins career in front of the camera, as she played the assistant to Allison Janneys character. The NCAA put Creighton men's basketball program on two years' probation and docked scholarships each of the next two seasons on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, after alleging that a former assistant coach accepted cash from a management agency. You would have thought that I was an international drug lord and murderous fugitive from justice. Man, all of us were tiptoeing around, and at some points stomping on those rules the players, the families, the coaches, the agents, the sneaker reps. Its all in the game a dirty game, some would say. Receiving payment from a sports team to participate. I jumped up out of the bed, still half asleep, and rushed downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. Then he started talking about wire fraud, and whatever else. That morning, I was in bed. And Ive seen the amount of money that everyone else is making as those families struggle to get by. Early, around 6.15am. Even the NCAA itself doesnt seem to think so anymore, as the organization that controls amateur college athletics is now letting athletes explore endorsement deals for their name, image and likeness. He also spent five years on the NCAA Division I mens basketball selection committee, serving as the chairman in 2018. The committee on infractions said Preston Murphy did not take any other action after the meeting in a Las Vegas hotel. I also wanted to create a strong female lead who was flawed but redeemable, which is something that rarely happens in television., Co-executive producer Casey Haver describes Long Slow Exhale as multi-layered. The California native Rollins is known for her role as Tasha Williams in the Showtime drama series The L Word and as Valerie Anderson in the ABC crime drama series The Catch. Rollins had a successful career as a model before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her love of acting. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. It was still dark outside. Long Slow Exhale also stars Josh Lucas, Ian Harding, Famke Janssen, Lyriq Bent, Shalini Bathina, Tony Gonzalez, Enajite Esegine, Brittney Elena, Jazmine Stewart, Isabella Star LaBlanc, Carmen Flood and Erin Croom. About 12 of them were outfitted in tactical gear, assault rifles raised and at the ready, the rest in plainclothes with handguns drawn. Shaken the sport to its core? The money is there. The Spectrum Originals drama series "Long Slow Exhale" stars Rose Rollins as the successful head coach of a competitive womens college basketball team who finds herself in the middle of a potentially career shattering sexual abuse scandal. Sports column said the federal charges had me facing a maximum of 80 years in prison. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. The Bluejays also cannot provide complimentary admission to home games for prospects and coaches during the November 2021 recruiting window. The Bluejays also were docked scholarships and given recruiting restrictions, among other penalties, and athletic director Bruce Rasmussen was found to have violated ethics rules in a case that has ensnared several big-name schools. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Merl Code leaves court after his sentencing in 2019. now letting athletes explore endorsement deals, Black Market: An Insiders Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball. It is a profound injustice that billions of dollars are made from the talents of young men, usually underprivileged young Black men, who are prohibited from participating in the revenue they generate. We are anxious to move forward knowing the series of reforms we have made to our policies and procedures within the department of athletics at Creighton ensure ongoing adherence and compliance with the NCAAs high ethical standards.. Nobody in their right mind would be knocking that early in the morning. I do not regret a single thing I did to help those kids and families. McDermott was suspended by the school in March after telling players to stay on the plantation after a loss; he apologized and was reinstated in time to coach in the Big East Tournament. Being represented or marketed by a professional sports agent. Or is it the coaches, universities and supposed nonprofits that collectively bring in billions of dollars on the backs of flat broke kids, then tell them to shut up and dribble because theyre getting an education? The violations largely stem from individuals permitting personal relationships to cloud their judgment and influence their decision-making, the NCAA committee said. Judge Edgardo Ramos, who sentenced me, didnt seem to think so. The show comes from executive producer, showrunner and creator Pam Veasey, who also served as executive producer on LAs Finest and CSI: NY. Veasey revealed the inspiration behind the series: Im a huge sports fan, and I had read a lot of stories about scandals in sports in college athletics and thought what would happen if those same incidents, those same occurrences, occurred in womens sports. There is no postseason penalty imposed on the mens basketball program, and none of our current or future student-athletes will be impacted, the school said.
Tell me why Im under arrest now., No, Ill tell you when you get in the car., Listen, man, I know enough about the law to know that you have to tell me why Im under arrest., The next thing I knew, one of the officers was playing a recording of me talking to Christian Dawkins, a young up-and-coming sports agent that Id mentored in the past. A moneymaking scheme to rake in billions of dollars, while the workers producing the product arent allowed to profit themselves? But a felon? Well see how that goes, but even healthy endorsement deals are just a fraction of the money athletes earn for the athletic departments they play for. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Theres also the strong relationship between J.C. (Rollins) and her husband Garrett (Bent), which is something that is that we dont usually get to see.. She was in the bathroom, getting ready to go to work. Thats why I only got a three-month sentence for charges that in other circumstances merit much longer sentences under federal guidelines.
California Consumer Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Thats when it began, the nightmare. Download it here. The meeting violated NCAA rules because it formalized a business relationship in which the management company could attempt to use Murphy to access to Creighton players. The NCAA, college sports governing body, has sold the myth of amateurism for decades. So was I involved in breaking the rules of the NCAAs absurd system?
In an extract from his new book, Merl Code explains how he found himself in the middle of a corruption scandal that rocked the NCAA. Receiving funds or money to offset training expenses. It was a bizarre scenario that seemed more like a horrific dream. You were involved in money laundering, said the officer. They include a $5,000 fine plus 1% of the basketball program budget, the loss of a scholarship each of the next two years and a reduction in mens basketball recruiting trips and visits. My story will shed more light on one of the most compelling social justice issues in modern American life: the systematic manipulation of young Black men and their loved ones for the love of money. But should paying talented athletes something approaching a fair living wage be a crime? But the meeting itself violated NCAA rules because the receipt of money formalized a business relationship in which the management company could attempt to use the coach to gain access to Creighton players. Indentured servitude is a nice way of calling it what it actually is: a form of slavery. This is an edited excerpt from Black Market: An Insiders Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball by Merl Code 2022 by Merl Code, used with permission from HarperCollins/Hanover Square Press. Is it really so wrong for the NCAA student athletes to get a small piece of the wealth they generate for their schools and apparel outfitters? I know which side of that argument I take, but Ill also concede that its not black-and-white. Specifically, the assistant coach prioritized loyalty to his friend, the agent associate; and the athletics director looked past alarming conduct based on his trust in the assistant coach.. Wait, what? The Bluejays went 24-9 during the 2019-20 season before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the FBI shocked the college basketball world with its 2017 announcement of charges in a corruption scandal, I was caught in the cross fire. Aggravated, clad only in a T-shirt and underwear, I opened the door and was greeted by the shocking sight of close to 20 FBI officers on my porch, lawn, driveway and the adjacent street. Yet the season was not without controversy. While the assistant coach was never charged with a crime, the NCAA still slapped him with a two-year show-cause penalty. The committee on infractions said the assistant coach, Preston Murphy, had attended a meeting in a Las Vegas hotel in which he was recorded accepting $6,000 in an envelope. It was a Tuesday. I do not think it was an accident that the famous, mostly white, head coaches and university administrators were shielded from the legal implications, and even the public scrutiny, that came from the FBI investigation. They followed up the breakthrough year with their best season under coach Greg McDermott, going 22-9 and finishing second in the Big East before advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. I heard somebody knocking at the door. Youre under arrest!, Nope. A criminal who required an entire tactical team of federal agents to arrest me at the crack of dawn? Ive sat in their living rooms and heard their stories. More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/College-basketball and http://www.twitter.com/AP_Top25, FILE - In this March 17, 2017, file photo, Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy, right, stands as players warm up during practice in Omaha, Neb. I think its really about decisions being made and those consequences. Rasmussen has spent more than 40 years at Creighton, including 27 as the athletic director, and has been honored by Under Armour as Division Is AD of the year a record four times. Theres a lot of it and its so easy to take it. The overwhelming majority of major Division I basketball and football players are African Americans from underprivileged backgrounds. Ive seen the look in a 16-year-olds eyes when he gets the first truly new, not-passed-down set of clothes hes ever worn.
The committee gave Rasmussen a Level II penalty after finding he conducted his own investigation without notifying or coordinating with the compliance office. 2022, Charter Communications, all rights reserved. I lived my entire professional life in the gray. I should know. Rasmussen determined that no violation had occurred and kept the information to himself until the FBIs case came to public light several months later. September 26. Race, money and exploitation: why college sport is still the new plantation, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Adidas executives Merl Code and Jim Gatto were widely known in the basketball industry as benevolent dealmakers, behind-the-scenes shakers and confidants of the sports boldfaced names, read the column. Thats not a decision that I can make thats an adidas decision and I will certainly ask Gatto and see what they want to do.. The bullshit. Promoting or endorsing a commercial product or service. Ive been part of this pattern of abuse for most of my career. Ive consoled single mothers crying as they struggled to provide for their children. Learn More. We go through the sexual assault, theres the murder investigation and cover up, but then theres also the lives of these players the drug addictions, young pregnancies, relationships and first loves that we deal with. Come on! Murphys lawyers said he returned the money after the meeting. The multi-award winning television series The West Wing launched Rollins career in front of the camera, as she played the assistant to Allison Janneys character. The NCAA put Creighton men's basketball program on two years' probation and docked scholarships each of the next two seasons on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, after alleging that a former assistant coach accepted cash from a management agency. You would have thought that I was an international drug lord and murderous fugitive from justice. Man, all of us were tiptoeing around, and at some points stomping on those rules the players, the families, the coaches, the agents, the sneaker reps. Its all in the game a dirty game, some would say. Receiving payment from a sports team to participate. I jumped up out of the bed, still half asleep, and rushed downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. Then he started talking about wire fraud, and whatever else. That morning, I was in bed. And Ive seen the amount of money that everyone else is making as those families struggle to get by. Early, around 6.15am. Even the NCAA itself doesnt seem to think so anymore, as the organization that controls amateur college athletics is now letting athletes explore endorsement deals for their name, image and likeness. He also spent five years on the NCAA Division I mens basketball selection committee, serving as the chairman in 2018. The committee on infractions said Preston Murphy did not take any other action after the meeting in a Las Vegas hotel. I also wanted to create a strong female lead who was flawed but redeemable, which is something that rarely happens in television., Co-executive producer Casey Haver describes Long Slow Exhale as multi-layered. The California native Rollins is known for her role as Tasha Williams in the Showtime drama series The L Word and as Valerie Anderson in the ABC crime drama series The Catch. Rollins had a successful career as a model before moving to Los Angeles to pursue her love of acting. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. It was still dark outside. Long Slow Exhale also stars Josh Lucas, Ian Harding, Famke Janssen, Lyriq Bent, Shalini Bathina, Tony Gonzalez, Enajite Esegine, Brittney Elena, Jazmine Stewart, Isabella Star LaBlanc, Carmen Flood and Erin Croom. About 12 of them were outfitted in tactical gear, assault rifles raised and at the ready, the rest in plainclothes with handguns drawn. Shaken the sport to its core? The money is there. The Spectrum Originals drama series "Long Slow Exhale" stars Rose Rollins as the successful head coach of a competitive womens college basketball team who finds herself in the middle of a potentially career shattering sexual abuse scandal. Sports column said the federal charges had me facing a maximum of 80 years in prison. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. The Bluejays also cannot provide complimentary admission to home games for prospects and coaches during the November 2021 recruiting window. The Bluejays also were docked scholarships and given recruiting restrictions, among other penalties, and athletic director Bruce Rasmussen was found to have violated ethics rules in a case that has ensnared several big-name schools. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. Merl Code leaves court after his sentencing in 2019. now letting athletes explore endorsement deals, Black Market: An Insiders Journey into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball. It is a profound injustice that billions of dollars are made from the talents of young men, usually underprivileged young Black men, who are prohibited from participating in the revenue they generate. We are anxious to move forward knowing the series of reforms we have made to our policies and procedures within the department of athletics at Creighton ensure ongoing adherence and compliance with the NCAAs high ethical standards.. Nobody in their right mind would be knocking that early in the morning. I do not regret a single thing I did to help those kids and families. McDermott was suspended by the school in March after telling players to stay on the plantation after a loss; he apologized and was reinstated in time to coach in the Big East Tournament. Being represented or marketed by a professional sports agent. Or is it the coaches, universities and supposed nonprofits that collectively bring in billions of dollars on the backs of flat broke kids, then tell them to shut up and dribble because theyre getting an education? The violations largely stem from individuals permitting personal relationships to cloud their judgment and influence their decision-making, the NCAA committee said. Judge Edgardo Ramos, who sentenced me, didnt seem to think so. The show comes from executive producer, showrunner and creator Pam Veasey, who also served as executive producer on LAs Finest and CSI: NY. Veasey revealed the inspiration behind the series: Im a huge sports fan, and I had read a lot of stories about scandals in sports in college athletics and thought what would happen if those same incidents, those same occurrences, occurred in womens sports. There is no postseason penalty imposed on the mens basketball program, and none of our current or future student-athletes will be impacted, the school said.