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Nike Hit with Major Allegations About Zion Williamson Bribery by Michael Avenatti

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Michael Avenatti, the disgraced celebrity lawyer who was arrested in late March on a litany of charges, is continuing to target Nike in an apparent crusade to expose corruption in collegiate sports.

As CNBC notes, Avenatti was arrested for allegedly embezzling a client’s money, defrauding a bank and trying to extort $25 million from Nike.

Late Friday, he targeted not just the NCAA but specific players in a Twitter storm. And he went straight for the biggest superstar in all of college sports.

Duke forward Zion Williamson has gotten swept up into Avenatti’s web of controversy after his mother’s name was thrown out by the lawyer in an attack on Nike.

“Can you please ask Zion Williamson’s mother – Sharonda Sampson – whether she was paid by @nike for bogus ‘consulting services’ in 2016/2017 as part of a Nike bribe to get Zion to go to Duke?” Avenatti tweeted.

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He followed up by asking Duke to look into financial arrangements between Nike and Sampson.


Avenatti claimed other prospective college athletes weren’t given a fair shake due to Nike bribing athletes to go to schools that have deals with the shoe company.

Do you believe Avenatti's claims about Nike?

“Was it fair for some colleges to lose out on recruits because Nike had bribed the recruits with illegal payments so they would play at other ‘Nike’ schools?” he tweeted.

“Was it fair for Nike to take advantage of the players and their families by paying the bribes and then demanding loyalty?”


Immediately before going after Williamson and Duke, Avenatti targeted Nike executive Carlton DeBose in a Twitter rant.

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Avenatti claimed that Nike had been engaging in illicit bribery for years to help spread control and influence over the college basketball world.

The 48-year-old lawyer then almost seemed to dare Nike to dispute his allegations.


To cap it off, Avenatti seemed to promise even more explosive allegations against Nike in the coming days.


Considering Avenatti has gone after one of the biggest college basketball programs, one of the biggest basketball stars and one of the biggest apparel brands in the world, it’s hard to imagine his allegations getting any more explosive than that.

However, whether there’s any substance to his claims remains to be seen.

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Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics.
Bryan Chai has written news and sports for The Western Journal for more than five years and has produced more than 1,300 stories. He specializes in the NBA and NFL as well as politics. He graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona. He is an avid fan of sports, video games, politics and debate.
Birthplace
Hawaii
Education
Class of 2010 University of Arizona. BEAR DOWN.
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, Korean
Topics of Expertise
Sports, Entertainment, Science/Tech




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