Michael Avenatti, the controversial lawyer who accused Nike of bribery, said that the sports gear giant had him arrested so he will not be able to tell the public about its misconduct. He continued to attack the company and alleged that it has been paying top athletes so they will enroll in Nike-backed colleges.
In his recent Tweet, Avenatii wrote, "Adidas execs faced criminal charges for much less. Nike execs and Nike as a company should all be indicted and held to account for their illegal conduct."
He added, "Why should they get preferential treatment when their acts are far worse? The docs don't lie and ZW (Zion Williamson) did not go to Duke for 0."
Now, with this kind of accusation, Fox News reported that the Duke University launched its own investigation on Avenatti's bribery claims. In particular, the university is looking into the case of college star basketball player Zion Williamson's mother, Sharona Sampson, who was said to have received money from Nike as a payout to lure his son to enroll and play for colleges that Nike is affiliated with.
"We are aware of the allegation and, as we would with any compliance matter, are looking into it," the university's athletic director Kevin White said. "Duke is fully committed to compliance with all NCAA rules and regulations and every student-athlete at Duke is reviewed to ensure their eligibility."
He went on to say, "With regard to men's basketball: all recruits and their families are thoroughly vetted by Duke in collaboration with the NCAA through the Eligibility Center's amateurism certification process."
At any rate, in his interview with CBS News, the Avenatti revealed that Nike has been doing this unfair practice for years. "For years, Nike and its executives have been funneling payments to amateur players, high school players, and to their handlers and family members, in an effort to get them to go to colleges that were 'Nike colleges' and ultimately to sign a shoe deal with Nike," he told the news network.
Finally, in another interview, Avenatti further said that Nike has been covering up this scandal for more than five years already. For all the things said by the lawyer against the company, Nike stated that it will not comment on the allegations thrown by a man who is "facing federal charges of fraud and extortion and aid in his disgraceful attempts to distract from the athletes on the court at the height of the tournament."
Michael Avenatti has been charged with extortion as he tried to obtain $20 million from Nike in exchange for his silence. He made an offer that he will drop his allegations that the company illegally hand out money to top basketball recruits. Meanwhile, Nike denied all the accusations since day 1.
In a new update, analysts in the legal division opined that Nike may need to respond to Michael Avenatti's ugly accusations. This is because, with all the alleged proofs presented by the celebrity lawyer, the public could actually start to believe the company is in trouble.
