FBI Subpoenas University of Maryland, Among Others, in Basketball Investigation
Last Friday, news broke that the FBI investigation into college basketball, which we wrote about several times throughout the season, had reached a new level, when the University of Maryland (UMD) received a subpoena. The University confirmed receipt of subpoenas from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which has been leading the investigation since arrests were made involving several college basketball coaches. The University of Kansas (KU) also acknowledged receipt of subpoenas earlier this morning, and North Carolina State University (NC State) received a subpoena several months ago. More schools are likely to be named soon.
The subpoenas to UMD seem to revolve around four individuals: Silvio de Sousa (Former Recruit), Diamond Stone (Former Player), Christian Dawkins (Former Sports Management Executive), and Orlando Ranson (Assistant Coach). The FBI seems focused on learning more about how exactly de Sousa and Stone were recruited, and if and how Dawkins and Ranson were involved in illegal bribery or corruption in their recruitment. It is unknown what the KU subpoenas are in reference to, but Silvio de Sousa ended up playing for the Jayhawks, so any subpoena they received would likely include him in it. KU star Josh Jackson is also likely to be named in their subpoena.
It is important to note that while these subpoenas do not necessarily mean that any wrongdoing definitely occurred, they are still extremely worrisome for college basketball programs, and show that the FBI is committed to moving forward in this investigation, after a decent amount of time without hearing much about it. Any findings of foul play could lead to punishment from both the FBI and the NCAA. The University of Maryland continues to deny any wrongdoing and is adamant that all documents they turned over to the FBI show no evidence of any broken laws, both criminal and NCAA. Both the University of Maryland and Kansas University have stated that they are cooperating with the investigation.
