The NCAA has contacted every school recruiting high school prospect Shabazz Muhammad and made them aware of possible financial issues that could compromise his amateur status, according to a report by Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com.
NCAA Investigating Top Recruit Shabazz Muhammad, According To Report
According to a report by Jeff Goodman and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com, top recruit Shabazz Muhammad is under investigation by the NCAA over possible financial involvements with two people as well as Adidas.
Muhammad is considered the No. 1 high school basketball recruit in the 2012 class by Scout and No. 2 by Rivals and ESPN. He is said to be considering the UCLA Bruins, Kansas Jayhawks, Kentucky Wildcats, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, Duke Blue Devils and USC Trojans.
The NCAA is focusing their investigation on Benjamin Lincoln, a North Carolina-based financial planner and Ken Kavanagh, a New York-based financial planner. Lincoln’s brother is Muhammad’s high school team coach and has reportedly paid for multiple unofficial recruiting trips that Muhammad has taken. Meanwhile Kavanagh has reportedtly helped fund Muhammad’s summer team, Dream Vision Foundation.
Both men told CBSSports.com that they are family friends and are simply helping the Muhammad family in support of their son. Kavanaugh did admit that he would like to represent Muhammad in his future pro career.
The report also mentions the possibility that Adidas may have had irregular involvement with Muhammad as a way to steer him toward an Adidas school, such as UCLA. Some have questioned if Muhammad’s father is on their payroll and Shabazz’s sister, Asia, is sponsored by Adidas as a tennis pro. Muhammad’s father denies any illegal involvement by Adidas.
More on this as it develops.
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