Tuesday afternoon Yahoo! Sports investigative reporter Charles Robinson unleashed a bombshell on college athletics, implicating 72 players from the Miami Hurricanes for receiving improper benefits from former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro. The massive scandal -- unearthed by nearly a year of investigation -- is a game-changer unlike any seen in recent sporting history.
Miami Scandal Could Spread To Kansas State, Other Universities
At this point, as we sit drowning in the wide swath of allegations, it’s somewhat unclear how far ramifications will spread throughout the realm of collegiate athletics. Yet, when the dust settles, you can be sure that Miami won’t be the only school to incur the NCAA’s inevitable wrath.
The Kansas State Wildcats may be one of the first (of many) institutions to suffer. Former Hurricane -- and current Kansas State linebacker -- Arthur Brown is among the vast list of players implicated in the investigation. According to Robinson, Brown received excessive benefits from Shapiro including:
- A dinner at Benihana and a trip to a strip club called The Cheetah in which Shapiro paid for all of Brown's food, drinks and private entertainment at the club.
- Lunch for Brown at Smith and Wollensky's with Brown, his parents, brother Bryce Brown and adviser Brian Butler which totaled $532. A bill paid for by Shapiro.
- Two rooms at the Continental Oceanfront Hotel for Brown, his family and adviser totaling $1,110.19. Paid for by Shapiro.
- Food, drinks and entertainment during pool tournaments at Shapiro's mansion.
To make matters worse, Brown’s younger brother, Bryce, was present for many of the benefits. Bryce is now a running back for Kansas State.
“[Arthur] also wanted me to meet his brother,” Shapiro told Yahoo.“Who was going to be the No. 1 recruited player coming out of high school that following year named Bryce Brown. I set up a trip for his mom, dad and spiritual adviser - which is another name for an agent - Brian Butler. They all came in from Kansas. I put them up at a hotel on Miami Beach.”
While it’s too early to predict the impending fallout from these allegations, it is becoming increasingly clear that this problem is not Miami’s alone. Needless to say, the next few months are going to get quite interesting.
For fan reaction on the ongoing Miami Hurricanes mega-scandal, visit Seventh Floor Blog.
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