5 things we learned from the college basketball corruption trial’s opening arguments

The first trial tied to the FBI’s investigation into corruption throughout college basketball started on Tuesday, putting former Adidas executive Jim Gatto under the spotlight against the prosecution. The trial is expected to last up to one month, and will feature statements and testimony from many of the key names that popped up in the initial investigation.

The college basketball world is bracing for the fallout. The first day of the trial saw one new school thrown into the scandal, named names of several prominent players and let the defense show its playbook in how it intends to fend off prosecutors.

This is only the start of what’s likely going to be a long and arduous trial for the universities and shoe company executives involved in the allegations. Here are our takeaways from day one.

The FBI has wiretaps and video documenting the alleged crimes. Gatto’s lawyer is aware of this and isn’t even trying to argue the Adidas executive is innocent. Instead, as the prosecution seeks to show the universities involved were defrauded, the defense is trying to paint a picture that everyone is cheating in college basketball. It’s saying Gatto’s actions were merely to “level the playing field.”

The allegation that universities were defrauded is key to all of this. To the defense, schools work closely with the NCAA to ensure they aren’t breaking rules. Gatto’s attorneys are saying he did these schools a favor by the securing the rights to top players that make both the universities and the NCAA a boatload of money. The defense suggested Gatto acted at the request of coaches.

Oregon was not a school previously named in the investigation, but the Ducks found themselves at the center of the trial on day one. According to the defense, the payment Adidas and Louisville (an Adidas school) worked to get for McDonald’s All-American Brian Bowen only came as a way to compete against Oregon.

Oregon is, of course, one of Nike’s flagship schools. Which brings us to a larger point.

This was a big theme of day one. In addition to the bombshell Oregon claim, the defense also took aim at schools tied to Nike and Under Armour.

Arizona is a Nike school and Maryland is an Under Armour school. Little appeared set to go to Arizona before the scandal hit and has since landed at North Carolina. Little is expected to be a top-five pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

De Sousa signed with Kansas, an Adidas school, and joined the team in the second half of last season. He is expected to be a key cog on a Jayhawks team many have installed as the preseason No. 1.

Gatto is been charged with two counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which is a federal crime because the payments were made across state lines. The defense is arguing Gatto broke rules, not laws.

“Jim Gatto broke NCAA rules,” Casey Gatto’s attorney Donnelly said. “NCAA rules are not laws.”

It will be fascinating to see this trial plays out over the next month with so many names marked as “relevant individuals” at the start of the trial.

Any program tied to these people should be sweating right now, especially since the NCAA essentially gave itself subpoena power in its recent rule changes.

The defense admitted a $40,000 payment was made to Dennis Smith Jr., the former lottery pick who is set to begin his second season with the Dallas Mavericks.

College basketball has been waiting for the next shoe to drop in the FBI investigation. Whether the defense can legally prove that universities were defrauded or not, this trial is sure to be full of juicy details about the type of corruption that goes on in college hoops. If day one is any indication, no school is safe.