Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 or so hours, you probably heard about the scandal at the University of Miami, in which a booster allegedly provided “illicit benefits” to football players. Lost in the fray, though, is that a few basketball coaches—Frank Haith (former Head Coach), Jake Morton (former assistant) and Jorge Fernandez (former assistant)—and one player—current senior to-be DeQuan Jones—were involved as well. As you can read below, the booster claims Jones’ family was paid 10 large in exchange for his commitment to Miami, and the aforementioned coaches were not only aware that this took place, but involved, to a degree. Be sure to hit Yahoo! to read up on all of the details.
“The booster alleges that in the early summer of 2008, he was made aware by assistant coach Jake Morton that a member of Jones’ family required $10,000 to ensure the player’s commitment. [Miami Booster Nevin] Shapiro said [Assistant Coach Jake] Morton met the booster at his Miami Beach mansion to pick up the money, where the transaction was witnessed by current Miami football staffer Sean Allen. According to Shapiro, it was Allen who went to Shapiro’s safe and removed the $10,000 in cash, which was then given to Morton by Shapiro. Shapiro said he and Morton then played one game of pool, and the coach left. Shapiro also said he believes Jones had no knowledge of the cash transaction. … Shapiro said head coach Frank Haith acknowledged the transaction and expressed his gratitude when the two met briefly at David’s Café later in the summer of 2008.”
