Nevin Shapiro: 5 Most Shocking Allegations Linked to Miami Booster

The University of Miami is in big trouble. In fact, the NCAA and college sports as a whole are about to experience what is potentially one of the biggest public revelations about the true nature of how college athletes are really treated.

This is going to get ugly, and it’s going to get ugly fast.

Earlier in the summer we saw Ohio State come under fire for players receiving improper benefits, which led to the eventual resignation of coach Jim Tressel and the ousting of quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

A few years back we watched as the NCAA came down hard on USC and took the Heisman Trophy away from Reggie Bush because of another improper benefits scandal.

An investigative story by Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports came out last night, and it has the potential to rock the face of college sports as we know it.

According to the report, a University of Miami booster named Nevin Shapiro has admitted to Yahoo! Sports and federal prosecutors that he had an eight year stint of dealing out impermissible benefits to at least 72 Miami athletes.

Some of the benefits came with the knowledge or participation from at least seven coaches in both Miami’s football and basketball programs. Some of the benefits included in the investigation were cash, prostitutes, paid trips and rewards for on-field production, among many other things.

Like I said, this is going to rock the face of college athletics as we know it.

Here are the five most shocking allegations that were linked to the Miami booster.

5. Rule Breaking with Coaches and Staff

This is an incredibly disturbing revelation that the investigation brought out.

Shapiro apparently collaborated with at least six coaches in violating NCAA rules, mostly with recruiting.

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Among the specific incidents, Shapiro or other sources say Hurtt, Hill, Stoutland, Pannunzio and Allen all delivered top-tier recruits to Shapiro’s home or luxury suite so the booster could make recruiting pitches to them.

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The simple fact that coaches knew about this and used Shapiro as a way to recruit high-profile player taints college football recruiting as a whole.

If Miami did it, who else has?

This is a scary can of worms to open...

4. Recruiting

This allegation goes hand-in-hand with the last allegation, but it is worth mentioning on its own.

Shapiro came out and admitted that he used money, sex and parties, among other benefits, to recruit top-tier players to play for the school.

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“Hell yeah, I recruited a lot of kids for Miami,” Shapiro said. “With access to the clubs, access to the strip joints. My house. My boat. We’re talking about high school football players. Not anybody can just get into the clubs or strip joints. Who is going to pay for it and make it happen? That was me.”

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The booster said his role went one step farther with the basketball program, when he paid $10,000 to help secure the commitment of recruit DeQuan Jones.

What this allegation does is take the legitimacy of all college programs in regards to recruiting players and puts it in question.

It's also a huge competitive edge! How would the college football landscape change if every team had the same means of recruiting?

3. Professional Agents

Shapiro apparently had a share in Axcess Sports, which is a sporting agency for players looking to go pro.

Shapiro used his ins with the Miami program to pretty much funnel over big-time players to the agency, who in turn got pieces of their big-time professional contracts.

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By 2007, he’d helped Axcess Sports land two first-round picks from Miami’s program. The first was Wilfork, thanks to Shapiro’s relationship and a $50,000 lump sum payment the booster said he gave to the defensive tackle during his junior season. Later, the booster said he provided a pair of $50,000 Cadillac Escalades to Wilfork and his fiancée shortly after the defensive tackle declared for the draft. The second player was Beason, who according to Shapiro and multiple sources—including another Miami player—had a close relationship with the booster for almost his entire career with the Hurricanes.

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This whole situation is a mess, and now it's dragging in professional organizations.

Anybody surprised?

2. Bounties

This may be the most despicable allegation of them all from a pure sports standpoint.

Shapiro apparently had offered up bounties to players during the games.

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The booster told Yahoo! Sports he had a number of individual payouts for “hit of the game” and “big plays.” He also put bounties on specific players, including Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and a three-year standing bounty on Seminoles quarterback Chris Rix from 2002 to 2004, offering $5,000 to any player who knocked him out of a game.

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If you don't get what's going on here let me break it down for you:

Players were playing knowing that they could receive big payouts for making big plays, and even hurting an opponent.

This is despicable and completely ruins the integrity of the sport.

1. Prostitution/Parties/Abortion

Shapiro gave players and recruits the opportunities to go to parties, hang out on his yacht and at his house.

The benefits even included prostitution, which is about as low as it goes, especially knowing that coaches had knowledge of the situation.

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Shapiro named 39 Miami players or prospective recruits who he says received prostitution paid for by the booster. Due to the sensitivity of the claims, Yahoo! Sports has chosen not to reveal the names of the players Shapiro claims were involved. However, two players confirmed the booster paid for sexual favors for themselves and others during their careers with the Hurricanes.

As for Shapiro, he said his role in arranging for prostitutes encountered various cosmetic changes over time. From 2002 to 2003, the booster said he used a handful of hotels to either make the services of prostitutes available to individual players, or throw “parties” where services were made available to multiple players. The booster said he would use connections with escorts or at local strip clubs to arrange for the availability of women.

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This is just absolutely wrong and disgusting. I'm not sure what this does for you, and how it makes you feel about the state of the NCAA.

Let me assure you, this is an all-time low, but we havn't reached the bottom yet.

Mark my words. This is just the beginning of the end.