The NCAA has been quietly investigating allegations made by former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro for the past several months. It could still be many more, though, before the NCAA finally comes to a conclusion.
In the meantime, the Association has been handed another piece of potential evidence.
The Miami Herald reports that Shapiro’s attorney, Maria Elena Perez, was allowed to depose former UM assistant equipment manager Sean Allen in December. That deposition has since been handed over to the NCAA. Allen’s testimony, which was first obtained by the Miami New Times, confirms some of Shapiro’s allegations that the Ponzi schemer provided impermissible benefits to players, but also either denies or claims no knowledge of others that Shapiro told Yahoo! Sports reporter Charles Robinson.
Specifically, Allen said that he has no knowledge of Shapiro allegedly giving $10,000 to the family of DeQuan Jones in order to keep Jones’ commitment to the Hurricanes, or of any cars or prostitutes that Shapiro might have bought players. However, Allen did confirm that he gave Shapiro $3,000 to take then-recruits Ray-Ray Armstrong, Dyron Dye and Andre Dubose to a strip club during their recruiting trip.
Armstrong and Dye signed with the Canes while Dubose ended up signing with Florida.
Allen also confirmed other allegations, such as gifts given to players at parties at Shapiro’s mansion.
“There was truth in what Nevin told Yahoo, but it was blown way out of proportion,” Allen said to the Miami New Times.
That doesn’t exactly jive with Shapiro’s recent claims that Miami’s scandal would end up being stuff of “urban legend”, or that he would take Miami “down to Chinatown.” In a text message to the Herald, Perez said “The NCAA has had the Sean Allen depo and their view is that Mr. Allen was not being forthcoming.”
For what it’s worth, the Herald reports Allen worked as Shapiro’s personal aid from late 2007 to 2008 before he was apparently booted from the Shapiro family circle of trust.
Perez was not allowed to depose anyone else involved in the case as dictated by a settlement between UM and Shapiro’s former business partner Michael Huyghue that was finalized days after Allen’s deposition.