Report: Shapiro benefits total $170K
CORAL GABLES, FLA. (AP) -- The NCAA is alleging that former Miami
booster Nevin Shapiro was responsible for providing about $170,000 in
impermissible benefits to Hurricanes athletes, recruits, coaches and
others between 2002 and 2010.
Shapiro allegedly spent more than half that amount — at least $90,000 —
in an effort to get NFL players Vince Wilfork and Antrel Rolle to sign
with a sports agency he was involved with, said the person, who spoke
to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because
neither Miami nor the NCAA has publicly released the allegations.
Also included in the allegations: That Shapiro spent at least another
$56,000 on ''meals, entertainment, clothing, jewelry, travel, lodging
and cash'' on football players, recruits and others. The NCAA alleged
that Shapiro spent that on 72 then-players, three recruits and 12
''friends and family members'' of those either on the team or being
recruited by the school.
Virtually all of the Hurricane players listed as receiving some sort of
extra benefit from Shapiro left the program several years ago.
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| Wilfork
attended Miami from 2001-03. He was drafted by the Patriots in the 1st
round of the 2004 NFL Draft. |
The figures that the NCAA's enforcement staff cited in the notice of
allegations add up to a significantly lower total than what Shapiro
told Yahoo Sports in 2011, when he estimated his extra-benefit spending
spree as going into the ''millions of dollars.''
If true, the NCAA only listed a sliver of that in the allegations. The
figures that were sent to Miami also were described as ''approximate
total values.''
The NCAA said Shapiro also provided extra benefits in the forms of
impermissible supplemental compensation to at least three former Miami
assistant coaches, along with travel benefits and other items.
Miami received its notice of allegations, ones that included a lack of
institutional control for failing to properly monitor Shapiro's
activities as a booster, last week. It also includes charges that three
former assistant coaches broke what's known as the NCAA's Rule 10.1 —
governing ethical conduct — by misleading the investigation. Two of
those former assistants have asked that their cases be thrown out
because of problems the NCAA acknowledged with the way it conducted the
probe.
The NCAA's Committee on Infractions wants to hear the case in June.
The Hurricanes have already self-imposed several sanctions, including
sitting out two bowl games and a conference football championship game.
Miami president Donna Shalala said on two occasions last week that she
believes those punishments should be enough, and on Wednesday, the
Hurricanes' athletic director echoed those sentiments.
''I would say I agree with everything that was in the two statements by
President Shalala,'' Blake James, Miami's athletic director, told The
AP. ''I think she was right on in her comments and was very reflective
of the general feel of our institution and those involved in this
case.''
Shapiro is serving a 20-year prison term for masterminding a $930
million Ponzi scheme.
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