As if being the mastermind behind a $930 million Ponzi scheme wasn’t enough.
Former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro recently revealed that he “recruited a lot of kids for Miami” by providing lavish gifts such as thousands of dollars, sex parties with prostitutes, access to nightclubs, yacht trips and in one case, even an abortion for a girl impregnated by a player.
“Not anybody can just get into the clubs or strip joints,” Shapiro said. “Who is going to pay for it and make it happen? That was me.”
Shapiro, right, with Kellen Winslow Jr. in Shapiro’s VIP booth at Opium Garden Nightclub in 2003
This declaration comes after his repeated statements over the past year that he is upset that the players he supported and helped are not returning the favor. University of Miami president Donna Shalala and athletic director Shawn Eichorst were questioned by the NCAA have not explicitly confirmed or denied Shapiro’s claim but did say they were taking the allegations seriously.
Players, on the other hand, did suggest that Shapiro is telling the truth, and some officials allegedly were aware of what was going on. Tyrone Moss, a former Miami player, said that he once accepted $1,000 from Shapiro.
“It was me and some other players with my incoming (class). I’m not going to say the names but you can probably figure them out yourself,” Moss said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports. “When I was getting there my freshman year, it was me and a couple more players. It was me and a few more of the guys in my incoming class that he kind of showed some love to.”
Shapiro, who also admitted to paying $50,000 to prominent players to work for a recruiting agency he had part-ownership in, Axcess Sports & Entertainment, told reporters from behind bars in Atlanta that he is expecting the death penalty for his actions.
Sources:
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/6866006/ponzi-schemer-nev…
http://sports.yahoo.com/investigations/news;_ylt=Ar2SYPVCX2aR99ZFwi3NRZU…