FBI wiretaps show AZ basketball coach discussed $100K payment to lock recruit

Firing Sean Miller would be costly for Arizona
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Miller would be owed $10.3 million even if fired for cause, per ESPN
By Ryan Kelapire@RKelapire Updated Feb 24, 2018, 9:52am PSTSHARE
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Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
Sean Miller’s future with the Arizona Wildcats is in doubt.

An ESPN report said FBI wiretaps have the UA head coach discussing paying $100,000 to secure the signing of star freshman Deandre Ayton.

That is certainly a fireable offense if true, especially if it is proven that money actually changed hands, but getting rid of Miller would be costly for the UA.

Arizona still owes Miller, whose contract runs through 2022, roughly $12.2 million. Here is the weird part.

Per ESPN’s Darren Rovell, if Miller is fired without cause, Arizona will owe him approximately $5.15 million.

But if Miller is fired for cause, he will be owed $10.3 million because of a drafting error on UA’s part. Most coaches get $0 in that situation, per Rovell.

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/967444771580121089
Darren Rovell

✔@darrenrovell


JUST IN: Sean Miller’s contract, as written, somehow pays him more for getting fired with cause than without cause. So if Miller is fired with cause, Arizona will owe him approximately $5 million more ($10.3 million versus $5.15 million) than if they fired for no reason.

11:03 AM - Feb 24, 2018
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However, Rovell did note that Miller would have to pay Arizona up to $300,000 in damages for violating NCAA rules, for whatever that is worth.

https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/967242902740103168
Darren Rovell

✔@darrenrovell


If Sean Miller is found to have violated NCAA rules, not only would he lose his job, but, per his contract, he’d have to pay Arizona up to $300,000 in damages related to the case.

9:40 PM - Feb 23, 2018
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Miller was hired by then-UA athletic director Jim Livengood back in 2009, and extended by then-UA athletic director Greg Byrne last February, so one of them seemingly did a poor job protecting Arizona in the event of something like this.

Keep in mind Arizona is already on the hook to pay former UA football coach Rich Rodriguez’s buyout which is worth about $6 million. So if Miller is let go, that is a lot of money Arizona would be paying coaches to, well, not coach.
 
Arizona is stupid :smh:

Firing him with cause pays him more money. :smh:

Dude was trying to make sure he was going to go to the final four eventually
 
FBI is becoming a joke. If they would have tapped the phone of Steve Paddock (son of someone on the actual fucking FBI most wanted list) They could actually save American lives

They were investigating because dudes were stealing money from athletes. All of this is just collateral damage.

Here’s the better question. WTF is HE on the phone doing all the talking? Rookie dumbass; he’s supposed to have 3, 4 dudes between him and the transaction and no one should have a direct link to him! Dumbass! :smh:

Dude, people keep saying this.

Ya'll watch too much the wire.

This shit has been going on since UCLA. How do you think they communicated? On burner phones?

Nobody knew they would be listening. Coaches are only worried about reporters and the NCAA. They're only worried about paper trails, not talking on phones. The NCAA can't tap phones.
 
They were investigating because dudes were stealing money from athletes. All of this is just collateral damage.



Dude, people keep saying this.

Ya'll watch too much the wire.

This shit has been going on since UCLA. How do you think they communicated? On burner phones?

Nobody knew they would be listening. Coaches are only worried about reporters and the NCAA. They're only worried about paper trails, not talking on phones. The NCAA can't tap phones.

True. He didn’t want more people in the mix because he thought it meant that any one of those individuals could get pinched and snitch. He thought if he kept it on the low, no one would know but him and the agent.

He didn’t think the FBI would be listening. This shit is an everyday thing in college basketball - why would the feds be listening?
 
True. He didn’t want more people in the mix because he thought it meant that any one of those individuals could get pinched and snitch. He thought if he kept it on the low, no one would know but him and the agent.

He didn’t think the FBI would be listening. This shit is an everyday thing in college basketball - why would the feds be listening?

That's why it's going to be so effective, because they're going to have e-mail trails, text and recordings from people who never suspected it.

My issue is how this shit is being reported, they're including people who had dinner with an agent with people who got money. It's not against NCAA rules to meet with an agent, they're just not supposed to pay for dinner...but who expects the player to pay for their own meal? Then they're including the schools with the players.
 
They're dreaming if they think this will put an end to it. Too much money man. Best option is for NCAA to not have a problem and start paying players. Student employees.
 
True. He didn’t want more people in the mix because he thought it meant that any one of those individuals could get pinched and snitch. He thought if he kept it on the low, no one would know but him and the agent.

He didn’t think the FBI would be listening. This shit is an everyday thing in college basketball - why would the feds be listening?

I understand but even with that said, I'd never expect Mike Kcswhrycbskdirncudjxnski from Duke to be on the phone talking about giving a player money. He's too "Big" for that so that's the issue.
 
Fucking feds spent more time on that bullshit than they did on crazy white people with guns. :smh:

you aint wrong...

but the systemic pimping of THOUSANDS of young black kids FINALLY getting addressed

on a FEDERAL level?

ain't necessarily a bad thing.

the WHOLE game rigged, we gonna take what we can get WHEN we can get it.
 
I understand but even with that said, I'd never expect Mike Kcswhrycbskdirncudjxnski from Duke to be on the phone talking about giving a player money. He's too "Big" for that so that's the issue.

Coach K is probably in the thick of it as much as anyone, but nothing will happen to him...he's got too many friends in high places.
 
I think ESPN jumped the gun to get this article out and they fucked up. They even said Miller was fired earlier and backtracked their story.



 
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