Facing federal extortion charges for his threats to reveal corruption in Nike's youth basketball circuit, lawyer Michael Avenatti on Wednesday provided a peek into the information he's gathered to defend himself.
A motion filed in a New York federal court by Avenatti's lawyers included allegations of widespread payments to players in Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League, including plans to pay former Duke star Zion Williamson at least $35,000; former Indiana player Romeo Langford $20,000; and another unnamed player $15,000. The money would enable the players to participate in the Nike EYBL summer league as high school players, according to the allegations.
According to the federal documents, a text message from Nike EYB director Carlton DeBose to Nike EYB manager Jamal James and Nike recruiting coordinator John Stovall said that DeBose "was willing to pay Langford, Zion and (an unnamed player who is a minor) the $70,000 and that they should 'stay aggressive' while he got 'creative' with the (Nike) budget."
The motion includes no evidence any of the players received any money or were even made aware of the payment offers.
Jon Jackson, Duke's deputy athletics director for men's basketball and external affairs, said Thursday, "As we have stated previously, all Duke student-athletes are subject to a thorough review to ensure their eligibility. Beyond that, we have no further comment on this matter."
In February 2017, when Williamson was a junior at Spartanburg (S.C.) Day School, "Stovall informed James and DeBose that they still had 'not presented our new offer' to Zion Williamson but agreed that it was not a good idea 'to put it in print,' " according to the federal documents.
