As the investigation into the NCAA pay-for-play scandal continues, more information surfaced regarding Deandre Ayton’s time at Arizona under then-head coach Sean Miller.
It had previously been reported that Miller tried to obtain $100,000 to recruit Ayton to his school. That news came out while Ayton was still playing for the Wildcats, and though Ayton’s eligibility wasn’t revoked, Miller didn’t coach the next game after the allegations were made public.
On Wednesday, federal prosecutors uncovered more details about the financial benefits Ayton reportedly received during his time in Tuscon. A phone call recording between former Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson and prospective agent Christian Dawkins claims that Miller was paying the future No. 1 overall pick $10,000 per month to play for him.
From ESPN’s report:
While talking about Ayton, Richardson told Dawkins, “Sean’s got to get the [expletive] out of the way and let us work.”
“We’ll see how Sean plays it out,” Dawkins said.
“You know what he bought per month?” Richardson asked.
“What he do?” Dawkins asked.
“I told you — 10,” Richardson replied.
“He’s putting up some real money for them [expletive],” Dawkins responded. “He told me he’s getting killed.”
“But that’s his fault,” Richardson said.
Richardson had an ongoing arrangement with Dawkins, who worked for ASM Sports, in which he took bribes in exchange for trying to funnel players toward his agency, including Rawle Adkins, Allonzo Trier, and Ayton. The former assistant also used much of his own money to pay recruits, reportedly going broke through the process despite earning a Division I coach’s salary.
Ayton has steadfastly denied all allegations of misconduct, and Miller remains the head coach for Arizona. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 during Ayton’s lone season before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
