Roy Williams Says Nike Has 'Never Done Anything' to Get UNC Recruits

University of North Carolina head men's basketball coach Roy Williams said Monday that he has never received aid from Nike in recruiting efforts during his time with the Tar Heels.

According to ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman, Williams denied Nike having any hand in convincing recruits to come to UNC.

"They've never helped me get any player, never insinuated, never done anything. I've dealt with Nike and Jordan Brand since I came back here, but we never even discuss things like that. So I know it's foreign to me," Williams said.

Williams' comments came in the midst of an FBI probe into college basketball, which includes allegations that Adidas employees worked together to funnel money to a recruit, per ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach.

The complaint alleged that Adidas worked with a "public research university located in Kentucky," which was later confirmed to be Louisville.

The player in question is 5-star commit Brian Bowen, who has since been suspended from taking part in basketball activities at the school, according to Justin Sayers and Darcy Costello of the Courier-Journal.

Williams admitted that the wide-ranging scandal took him by surprise, but he expressed his belief that it isn't necessarily an epidemic:

"This is a whole different level we're talking about here. This is a different level that should have some people being scared to death. I know it looks really bad. I don't know. I don't enjoy that part. But to paint the entire college basketball world like this I don't think it's fair either because I don't think that's what the entire college basketball world is all about. But it was just a shock to me."

The 67-year-old Williams is one of the most successful coaches in the history of college basketball, and he has been inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

During his time as a college head coach at Kansas and UNC, Williams boasts a career record of 816-216, complete with nine Final Four appearances and three national championships.

The Tar Heels are coming off consecutive appearances in the National Championship Game, and they beat Gonzaga to win the 2016-17 title.