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Univeristy of Miami students say good-bye to the old Orange Bowl Stadium in 2007. J. Pat Carter/AP/Press Association Images
Scandal

Prostitutes, cash, and bonuses for hurting opposing players: The insane details of the Miami football scandal

If this stuff is true, there may be trouble ahead.

Reproduced with permission from Business Insider.

YESTERDAY, AMERICAN PONZI schemer Nevin Shapiro vowed to make the details of his dealings with the Miami football program known.

Today, he did exactly that in a wide-reaching, as reported in an 11-month long Yahoo Sports investigative report.

From Charles Robinson:

At a cost that Shapiro estimates in the millions of dollars, he said his benefits to athletes included but were not limited to: cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and on one occasion, an abortion.

Shapiro, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence, became a Miami booster in 2001. A year later, he says he started giving players gifts.

He says he paid some big names in his decade as a booster — Vince Wilfork, Jon Beason, Andre Johnson, Devin Hester, Kellen Winslow Jr, and Antrel Rolle.

Shapiro was originally going to write a tell-all book. But he scrapped that idea last summer and began cooperating with Yahoo Sports and NCAA investigators instead.

Robinson’s article breaks Shapiro’s improper conduct into several areas — NCAA rule-breaking with coaches and staffers; prostitution; cash payments and bounties; jewelry, clothing, travel, and rims; house and yacht privileges; strip clubs; meals; lodging; abortion; and Axcess Sports benefits.

To verify his claims, Yahoo audited 20,000 pages of financial documents, 5,000 pages of cell phone records, and 500 photos.

If the NCAA finds this evidence as convincing as Yahoo! did, Miami is in big, big trouble.

The University of Miami says they are cooperating with NCAA investigators.

In all, Yahoo! investigated Shapiro’s illicit dealings with 73 players, seven coaches, and three support staff members.

– Tony Manfred

Click here to read Charles Robinson’s article in full >

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