Business Ethics presentation on Adidas and Agents bribing coaches and players

1. Adidas and Agents Bribe
Coaches at Top NCAA
Basketball Programs
Show and Tell by Jack Grogan

2. What Happened?
 A year long investigation came into light in the past week after allegations were
brought against a top Adidas executive.
 Alleged to have worked with a sports agent and a financial adviser to ”funnel tens of
thousands of dollars to the families of high-school recruits to induce them to sign with
major-college programs”
 The recruits and their family were expected to sign with these agents and advisers,
as well as have Adidas as their sponsor when they turned pro
 The FBI used under covered agents, cooperating witness and wiretaps to figure this
all out.

3. Schools Involved
 Louisville
 Adidas sent a recruit $100,000 to sign with Louisville
 University of Arizona
 Also tried to get Adidas to pay a player to go to Miami
 Oklahoma State University
 Assistant coach: Lamont Evans
 Accepted bribes worth over $10,000
 USC
 Assistant coach: Anthony Bland
 Accepted bribes over $10,000
 University of Miami
 Asked Adidas for $150,000 to secure a recruit
 Auburn
 Assistant coach: Chuck Person
 Accepted bribes for an undisclosed amount

4. Others Involved
 Adidas executive James Gatto (head of global sports marketing)
 Adidas affiliate Merl Code
 Founder of Princeton Capital
 Investment firm accused of being the third party in many of the bribes.
 Sports Agent Christian Dawkins
 AAU program director Jonathan Brad Augustine
 Owner of Thompson Bespoke Clothing Rashan Michel

5. Ethical Issues
 The paying and accepting of bribes in order to gain an upper hand on your
competition.
 Taking advantage of those in need/those who trust you.
 Personal opinion:
 It is wrong
 Just because everyone is doing it does not mean it is right.

6. References
 https://www.wsj.com/articles/arrests-expected-in-probe-of-alleged-bribery-
kickbacks-at-college-basketball-programs-1506431065
 https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/09/29/what-we-know-about-each-
school-fbi-investigation