Auburn coach involved in college basketball bribery scandal said he influenced recruits by name-dropping Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson
The arrests included several college basketball assistant coaches, financial advisers, and managers as part of an investigation that began in 2015.
Among the arrests was Chuck Person, an assistant coach at Auburn University who played 13 years in the NBA and spent several years as an assistant coach in the NBA.
According to an attorney for the Southern District of New York, Person received $91,500 to recruit prospects to Auburn and convince them to work with an unnamed financial adviser who was an informant for the government.
In the complaint, in a recorded phone call, the unnamed informant asked Person about his credibility with high school recruits and prospects. Person bragged about his NBA connections, saying, "When you've coached Kobe Bryant, worked with Phil Jackson, it goes a long way." Person won a championship ring as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010.
Person also told the informant that a specific recruit "listens to one person ... that's me."
According to the complaint, Person was to use his "influence" to convince players with a shot at making the NBA to use the unnamed financial adviser.
Also named in the complaint is Rashan Michel, a local businessman whose custom clothing company reportedly attracted many NBA and NFL players.
The investigation also named assistant coaches from Louisville, USC, Arizona, and Oklahoma State. The scandal has already resulted in the firings of Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich, the AD of Louisville.