A sweeping college hoops scandal that’s engulfed the sport has now touched its gridiron counterpart.
Marty Blazer, a Pittsburgh financial advisor-turned government informant after pleading guilty to securities fraud charges, took the witness stand Tuesday in the college basketball fraud trial and levied some potentially explosive allegations. As part of his testimony, Blazer alleged that, between 2000-14, he paid football players from, among others, Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Pitt. The payments, some of which were in the thousands of dollars, were aimed at convincing the player to remain in college and not enter the NFL draft in the hopes that they would retain him as their financial adviser when they did turn pro.
The names of specific players were, for the most part, not mentioned by Blazer.
Today from the college basketball bribery trial government witness Marty Blazer said between 2010-14 he paid from several hundred to several thousand dollars to FOOTBALL players from:
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 23, 2019
Pitt
Penn St
Michigan
Notre Dame
Northwestern
UNC
Alabama
Blazer said he would pay college football players anywhere from $100 to $3,000 per month from 2000-2013/14, usually by cash, sometimes by Western Union. He would send Western Union to friend, family member or girlfriend, he testified.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 23, 2019
The most damning of the accusations made by Blazer seems to involve Penn State during the Joe Paterno era. Specifically, Blazer alleges that he paid the father of then-Penn State player Aaron Maybin $10,000, with the payment being made at the behest of an unnamed Paterno assistant coach.
Blazer testified that — at the encouragement of an unnamed Penn State assistant — he paid $10,000 by check to the father of then-Penn State player Aaron Maybin to convince him to stay in school.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 23, 2019
If accurate, the NCAA would consider such an arrangement a major infraction. It’s unclear what, if any, action The Association will take on the football side of the accusations made under oath.
Requests for comment from each of the football programs mentioned in Blazer’s testimony have not yet been met with a response.