Adidas Exec’s Lawyer: Nike, Under Armour Secretly Pay College Basketball Recruits

An Adidas executive is on trial after being accused of attempting to pay the father of a top college basketball recruit $100,000 so that his son would commit to playing at a university where the brand was a sponsor. The New York Daily News reports that Jim Gatto, Adidas’ head of global sports marketing, allegedly tried to make the payoff to Brian Bowen Jr.’s father to entice his son to play for the University of Louisville. The payout reportedly “violates NCAA rules” and would make the player “ineligible for a scholarship” from the university. Casey Donnelly, Gatto’s lawyer, reportedly claimed in her opening statement Tuesday that “every major apparel company” participates in this practice, and Gatto was trying to “level the playing field.” She reportedly claimed Nike tried to pay Bowen Jr. “astronomical amounts of money.” Donnelly also alleged that current University of North Carolina player Nassir Little was paid $150,000 to attend Nike-sponsored University of Arizona, and University of Kansas player Silvio De Sousa was paid $20,000 to attend Under Armour-sponsored University of Maryland. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli Mark claimed the operation “misled” universities to otherwise “ineligible” players. Gatto was charged alongside lawyer Merl Code and sports agent Christian Dawkins.